Promoting Healthy Environments in our Schools
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Now that school is back in session, we’re really thinking about all the different ways we can work with our partners in the community to make our schools healthier places for students, teachers, and staff.
Schools play a critical role in promoting students’ health, and helping them establish lifelong patterns of healthy behavior. With initiatives like Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools, and the work we are doing with partners like the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (AHG), Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Zones, and Safe Routes to School, we are making strides in helping students, teachers, and staff get and stay healthy.
Last year alone, Kaiser Permanente Southern California activated 215 Thriving Schools in 27 school districts, providing more than $600,000 in grants. This supports the development of programs that improve school meal nutrition and increase opportunities for physical activity on campuses.
We know that a healthy school environment depends on the health and well-being of all members of the school community — students, staff, and teachers alike. That is why Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools places an intentional focus on school employee wellness initiatives that can help with reducing stress and boosting morale.
Recently, sixteen Kaiser Permanente Southern California Thriving Schools were ranked among the Healthiest Schools in America, according to AHG.
Speaking of schools that are Thriving, students from Washington Preparatory and Hollywood High School expressed their commitment this year to healthy eating and active living in the form of two vibrant new murals that spread the message of good health for everyone. These murals were made possible thanks to the Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health and Kaiser Permanente’s HEAL campaign.
We applaud the efforts of all our partners who are working to bring healthy food and physical activity into different areas of our communities, especially schools.
To learn more about improving school wellness, take advantage of Fire Up Your Feet – a fun, easy, and free program that rewards schools with cash awards for keeping physically active. Any school (K – 8) can enroll in the Fire Up Your Feet Fall Activity Challenge, which runs October 1 – 31, 2016. For additional school wellness resources, visit: http://thrivingschools.kaiserpermanente.org.
And be sure to click on the links below to read about some of the different ways we are working to help create healthier environments in our schools.
Promoting Good Health Through Art
Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools Earn National Honors
Keep Your Students Fired Up this Fall
We’d love to hear how you are working to make your community or workplace healthier. Please share your story with us here.
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