How does a coordinated approach fit into the school’s primary mission to promote learning?
The coordinated approach to school health is designed to assure that children and teens are ready to learn everyday throughout their school years by being physically and emotionally healthy. For today’s kids to succeed they need to learn to read, write, and understand math. But how much can they learn if they’re using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, and/or suffering from stress or depression? Preparing children for learning means addressing their intellectual, emotional, and physical needs. A coordinated approach offers our children opportunities — from health education to a healthy school environment — to learn and practice skills that will help them throughout their lives. The ideal approach brings health topics into day-to-day learning activities in a variety of subject areas and settings, so that both academic goals and an understanding of health issues are addressed together.
