Ready, set, go! : Building healthy schools in Ontario

Schools are the ideal place to reach young people, Curriculum is not enough but to be truly effective, school health programs must Two factors point to the importance of strong health be comprehensive, sustained and involve the whole programs in schools: school and wider community.12 It is not enough simply to provide knowledge and skills in the classroom; the There is growing evidence that both p [...] The JCSH recognized that comprehensive school health is the most effective strategy for “supporting improvements in students’ educational outcomes while addressing school health in a planned, integrat- ed and holistic way.” According to the JCSH, comprehensive school health is not just about what happens in the classroom, but rather it encompasses the whole school environment including: • the soci [...] We supply our students with healthy snack bins (fresh fruit, cut up The Food and Beverage Policy carrots, 100% fruit drinks, etc.) in the The School Food and Beverage Policy, introduced in 2011-12, is a comprehensive approach to the sale classroom every morning, and by the of food and beverages in Ontario’s publicly funded end of the day the bins are empty. [...] The goals of the policy are: •. to provide fast access to high-quality services for children and youth, as well as their families, with mental health and addictions needs; •. to identify and intervene in child and youth mental health and addictions needs early; and • t o close critical service gaps for vulnerable children and youth such as Aboriginal students, those at key transition points, and t [...] Partners include school for York Region District School Board, a Healthy boards; police, fire, and emergency services; addictions School model can have an impact not just on the stu- and mental health counselors; and provincial agencies dents and staff in the school, but on the overall health such as the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario Power of the school community.38 Generation and Ontario Hy