Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child
The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model is an integrated and collaborative approach to promoting student health and well-being through a more holistic view of the child, emphasizing the integration of education and health sectors to improve each child's cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development. The WSCC model includes 10 components:
Health Education: Curriculum and instruction designed to motivate and assist students in maintaining and improving their health, preventing disease, and reducing health-related risk behaviors.
Physical Education and Physical Activity: School-based physical activity opportunities, including physical education classes, recess, and extracurricular activities that encourage lifelong physical activity habits.
Nutrition Environment and Services: Access to healthy foods and beverages, nutrition education, and a food environment that promotes students' learning and lifelong health.
Health Services: Health services provided by school nurses or other qualified health professionals to appraise, protect, and promote student health.
Counseling, Psychological, and Social Services: Services provided to improve students' mental, emotional, and social health, including individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, and referrals.
Social and Emotional Climate: The overall psychological aspects of the school experience, including relationships among students and staff, that influence students' social and emotional development.
Physical Environment: The physical surroundings of the school, including buildings and grounds, and how they contribute to students' safety, health, and learning.
Employee Wellness: Programs and policies that support the physical and mental health of school staff, which can improve their well-being and their ability to serve students effectively.
Family Engagement: Efforts to involve families in their children's education and health, creating a supportive home environment and reinforcing the positive health behaviors taught at school.
Community Involvement: Partnerships with community organizations and resources to support and enhance school health and educational outcomes.
The WSCC model promotes collaboration among schools, communities, and families to ensure that all aspects of a child's well-being are addressed, ultimately aiming to improve both educational outcomes and health
Implementing the WSCC Model as the School Health Coordinator
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The School Health Index (SHI) is a self-assessment and planning tool developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for schools to improve their health and safety policies and programs. The SHI helps schools identify strengths and weaknesses in their health promotion policies and programs, develop action plans for improvement, and engage the entire school community in health-enhancing behaviors. The tool is based on evidence-based guidelines and is designed to be user-friendly, allowing schools to:
Identify Strengths and Weaknesses: Schools can evaluate how well they are implementing health and safety policies and practices in various areas.
Develop an Action Plan: Schools can use the results of the assessment to create a detailed plan for improving health and safety practices, focusing on areas needing the most attention.
Engage Stakeholders: The SHI involves students, parents, teachers, administrators, and other community members in the process, fostering a collaborative approach to school health.
The SHI consists of modules that cover the following topics:
School Health Policies and Environment: Evaluates policies and practices related to the school’s physical environment, emergency preparedness, and overall school health policies.
Health Education: Assesses the quality and comprehensiveness of the health education curriculum and instruction.
Physical Education and Other Physical Activity Programs: Looks at physical education curriculum, instruction, and opportunities for physical activity outside of PE classes.
Nutrition Services: Evaluates the nutritional quality of school meals and the overall school nutrition environment.
Health Services: Reviews the availability and quality of health services provided to students.
Counseling, Psychological, and Social Services: Assesses the services provided to support students’ mental health and emotional well-being.
Health Promotion for Staff: Evaluates programs and policies that support the health and well-being of school staff.
Family and Community Involvement: Looks at efforts to engage families and the community in supporting students' health and academic success.
The SHI helps schools create healthier environments, which can lead to improved student performance, reduced absenteeism, and better overall health outcomes. By systematically addressing areas needing improvement, schools can make meaningful changes that support the well-being of students and staffDescription text goes here
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A school wellness policy is a document that establishes the framework and guidelines for promoting the health and well-being of students and staff within a school setting. This is a vital tool for fostering a healthy school environment, supporting academic success, and addressing broader public health concerns. It ensures that health and wellness are prioritized and integrated into the daily life of the school community.
School districts can develop wellness policies to meet the unique needs of each school under its jurisdiction, but at a minimum are required to:
Include goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote students wellness. In developing these goals, local educational agencies must review and consider evidence-based strategies.
Include nutrition guidelines for all foods sold on each school campus during the school day that are consistent with federal regulations for school meals and Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.
Include policies for foods and beverages made available to students (e.g., in classroom parties, classroom snacks brought by parents, other foods given as incentives).
Include policies for food and beverage marketing that allow marketing and advertising of only those foods and beverages that meet the Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.
Permit parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, school administrators, and the general public to participate in the development, implementation, and update of the local school wellness policy.
Identify one or more school districts or school officials who have the authority and responsibility to ensure each school complies with the policy.
Inform and update the public (including parents, students, and others in the community) about the local school wellness policy on an annual basis.
At least once every 3 years, measure how schools are in compliance with the local school wellness policy, the extent to which the local education agency’s local wellness policy compares to model local school wellness policies, and the progress made in attaining the goals of the local wellness policy. Make the assessment available to the public.
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The School Health Policies and Practices Study* (SHPPS) is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels.
The School Health Profiles (Profiles) is a system of surveys assessing school health policies and practices in states, school districts, territories, and tribes.
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) is a set of surveys that track behaviors that can lead to poor health in students grades 9 through 12
