Healthy Kids Learn Better

About Healthy Kids Learn Better

Healthy Kids Learn Better is a way of forming school-community partnerships that address kids' physical, social and emotional needs, improving their potential to learn.

Supporting kids' achievements and addressing health issues such as hunger, depression, stress, harassment, abuse, substance abuse, unintended pregnancy, disordered eating, unsafe living conditions and obesity can greatly improve their ability to learn.

Taking a coordinated approach to student health in your school community can help reduce duplication, save money, reduce absenteeism, improve student performance and promote teacher teamwork.

Every school community has its own individual approach to building a coordinated school health program. It's a flexible way to address student needs, not a cookie-cutter program or a state government mandate.

What we do

The Healthy Kids Learn Better partnership is led by specialists in the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Department of Human Services - Health Services. We collaborate with others to reduce barriers to learning in many ways:

Promoting connections between health and education at the state level, supporting funding, leadership and policy.
Providing assistance to local school districts forming Healthy Kids Learn Better Teams.
Training teachers.
Assisting with the selection and creation of comprehensive health education programs that work.

What you can do: Good health and learning go hand in hand

Local Healthy Kids Learn Better teams need many voices: parents, families, school administrators, teachers, business leaders, school board members, local nonprofits, county commissioners, health-care professionals, students.

Healthy Kids Learn Better begins with a local team. We'll assist you in creating a strong network of support. You're in the driver's seat; we provide the road map.

The eight components of coordinated school health

Health services - School-based or school-linked access to preventive services, referrals, emergency care and chronic disease management for all students.
Counseling, psychological and social services - School-based or school-linked services focusing on cognitive, emotional and behavioral needs of individuals, groups and families.
Health promotion for staff - School-based or school-linked programs promoting physical and mental health for staff and discussing the importance of positive role modeling for students.
Family and community involvement - Partnerships among schools, families and communities that enhance the healthy development of youth.
Healthy school environment - A healthy and supportive school climate, and a safe, aesthetically pleasing physical environment.
Nutrition services and education - School-based or school-linked programs that assure all students affordable and nutritious meals, deliver nutrition education in partnership with teachers.
Physical education - A planned K-12 program to develop basic movement skills, enhance physical fitness, and promote lifelong physical activity, taught by certified physical educators.
Comprehensive health education - Developmentally-appropriate K-12 curricula that develops health knowledge, attitudes, and skills, taught by certified health educators.

Other resources

Contact information

Kids bring their whole life to school with them, and it doesn't fit in a locker. If you care about improving kids' health and increasing their potential to learn, you have a role in Healthy Kids Learn Better. Get involved! Contact us for help establishing a local Healthy Kids Learn Better Team