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Supporting School Health Services

Health and learning are inextricably linked

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Optimal student health is important for growth, development, academic success, and school attendance. School health services teams, caregivers, and educators can partner together to foster a culture of health and wellness in their school communities.

— Jessica Reggi, DO
Whole Child Health National Advisor, School Health Services

Our evidence-based approach helps schools:

Address health barriers to learning

Identify health concerns such as vision impairments and dental issues through routine screenings before they significantly impact learning.

Provide pathways of support

Refer students with health concerns to appropriate school and community-based resources.

Build trust and safety

Engage families in conversations to advocate for and support their child's health and well-being.

Center health equity

Ensure all students have access to the health resources they need to thrive.

Boost attendance and performance

Prepare students to learn, engage, and achieve.

Get recognized for supporting School Health Services

Meet these criteria to qualify as one of America’s Healthiest Schools.

1

Our school conducted physical health screenings that are:

To be eligible for an award, you'll need to be doing each one of these things.
Find resources to help >

✅ Nice going! The award application will ask you to:

  • Indicate which physical health screenings were conducted with students this school year
  • Describe how your school team communicated with families about conducting the selected physical health screenings.
  • Upload at least one (1) communication document sent to families or staff about conducting physical health screenings (with student information redacted). 

2

Does your school address chronic health conditions among students in all of the following ways?

To be eligible for an award, you'll need to be doing each one of these things.
Find resources to help >

✅ Great job! The award application will ask you to:

  • Describe how the school nurse or other qualified staff involved students, caregivers, staff, and medical providers to manage students' chronic health conditions.
  • Upload at least one (1) case management document sent to families, educators, and their medical providers for students with chronic health conditions (with student information redacted).

3

Do your school nurses or other qualified staff oversee a referral pathway that included all the following?

To be eligible for an award, you'll need to be doing each one of these things.
Find resources to help >

✅ Way to go! The award application will ask you to:

  • Describe your school team's process for informing caregivers of a student's new health concern or failed health screening, making a referral to a community-based healthcare provider, and following up to ensure services were accessed.
  • Upload at least one (1) completed referral form sent to a caregiver for a student with a new health concern or failed screening connecting them with a community-based healthcare provider (with student information redacted).
Could you be one of America's Healthiest Schools?

Let’s make your vision a reality!
My team is here to help you become one of America’s Healthiest Schools.

—Naomi, Member Engagement & Support Team

Call 888-543-4584, book a chat, or send an email

Resources to Build School Health Services

Build Your Referral Pathway

Connect people to resources in a timely, consistent, and equitable way by implementing a clearly defined referral pathway.

Strategies to Increase Attendance: School Health Services & Family Engagement

Did you know asthma accounts for one-third of missed school days? Or that 40 percent of school-aged children missed three or more school days yearly due to an acute illness, such as the flu? Join us for a panel discussion with peers and experts on building proactive pathways to address school attendance and child health through family engagement. You will receive insight into unique strategies and solutions to address health-related causes of chronic absenteeism, as well as first access to a new microlearning to use with your school community. During our time together, we will: -Review three significant health-related causes of chronic absenteeism. -Demonstrate how fostering family capacity building can proactively address these health contributors. -Explore how school teams can partner with families and community-based organizations to ensure their children’s health and well-being are cared for at school. This session is a part of Healthier Generation's Thought Leadership Series, "Every Day Counts: A Holistic Approach to Increase School Attendance".

Explore Other Topics

School Health Services
Health Education
Local School Wellness Policy
Social-Emotional Health & Learning
Nutrition & Food Access
Tobacco-Free Schools
Physical Education & Activity
Family & Community Engagement
Staff Well-Being