Coordinated School Health
(CSH) is an effective system designed to connect health (physical,
emotional and social) with learning. This coordinated approach improves
children’s health and their capacity to learn through the support of
families, communities and the schools working together.
The involvement of parents,
families and community is the glue that binds the CSH. Full involvement
of these entities as partners in the educational process provides
valuable input, increases the commitment of all partners and ensures
positive educational and health outcomes.
Coordinated School Health is
not a program, but is a systematic approach to promoting student health
that emphasizes needs assessment; planning based on data, sound
science, and analysis of gaps and redundancies in school health
programming; and evaluation.
The CSH approach consists of
eight major components. By definition, all Coordinated School Health
Components work together to improve the lives of students and their
families. Although these components are listed separately, it is their
composite that allows CSH to have significant impact. The eight
components include: health education, health services, counseling,
psychological and social services, nutrition, physical
education/physical activity, school staff wellness, healthy school
environment and student/ parent/community involvement.