Minnesota Coordinated School Health
What is CSH?
Coordinated School Health is an effective system designed to address the inter-relationships between health and learning. A coordinated approach to school health improves students’ health and their capacity to learn through the support of schools, families and communities working together. The Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota Department of Health are collaborating partners in this endeavor.
Schools with effective coordinated school health programs have reported the following:
- Reduced absenteeism
- Fewer behavior problems in the classroom
- Improved student performance/higher test scores, more alert students, and more positive attitudes among students
- New levels of cooperation and collaboration among parents, teachers, school and health officials, and organizations within the community
- A more positive spirit among educators and their students
- The inclusion of health awareness in the fabric of children's lives
- Young people who are more prepared to become productive members of their communities and who can better cope with the world around them
On our site you can find information on H1N1 influenza updates, tools to link health and learning, upcoming trainings, workshops, conferences and resources on HIV/AIDS/STDs, teen pregnancy prevention, physical activity, nutrition, tobacco and more topics that are interconnected with a healthy learning environment.
How to Link Health and Learning
All students should have the opportunity to be fit, healthy and ready to learn. The goal is to prepare students for their daily work – learning, growth and development. Schools and communities must work collaboratively to help children become healthy, productive citizens. Education must address the needs of the whole child as students’ physical, social and emotional development affects their ability to learn. Research shows patterns for disparities in education often parallel disparities in health and the more health risks students have, the more likely they will not succeed in school. By working together, schools, families and communities can create the environments and opportunities that support healthy development and optimal learning. Schools and districts can take action to incorporate a coordinated approach to school health into the education system by:
1. Ensuring leadership—oversight and support
2. Organizing school health teams—build structures for coordinating activities and engaging family and community stakeholders
3. Conducting an assessment—determining what is needed and what is already in place to address those needs
4. Creating an action plan—setting priorities, developing implementation strategies, and evaluating the process
5. Developing a communications plan—communicating with and involving the community