School Wellness

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Be Well, Learn Well© is a comprehensive school wellness program based in science and child development that teaches the interdependence of:

• Nutrition
• Activity
• Sleep
• Motor development
• Self care, and
• Mental health

Understanding of these interdependent factors, positively impacts children’s health and learning. Children must be well, so they can learn well.

Children -Teachers - Parents - It takes all three

Since health practices directly impact the growth and development of children, early intervention is needed to ensure best outcomes (National Survey of Children’s Health 2003). Therefore, Be Well, Learn Well© targets children in the first decade of life using a collaborative approach of partnering medical experts, parents and teachers to best serve the needs of children and to create long-term ownership for sustainability.

Trained medical professionals introduce monthly health concepts in the classroom with interactive, age appropriate sessions. Older children additionally have the opportunity to give back to their school through teaching health concepts to younger children. For example, during the sleep presentation, third grade students create books about healthy sleep habits and then read and present these books to first grade students. Parents receive training to reinforce health strategies at home and teachers are trained to incorporate health strategies into existing curriculum. Teachers assign wellness “homework” that encourages quality time together by both student and parent. Parent seminars are held throughout the school year to encourage family involvement and open the doors for questions about best health practices. Through this powerful alliance., schools and families build a culture of wellness.

Medical Professional Partnerships

Using medical professionals to deliver current and accurate wellness education provides:

• The most efficient and effective delivery of curriculum;
• Direct teacher training by medical experts with immediate feedback for classroom implementation strategies;
• Direct access to medical experts for children; and
• Expert resources for parents to support and coach healthy behaviors.

An example of this proven model is the Nurse-Family Partnership in which the evidence of effectiveness soars when health education is provided by health experts (Coalition for Evidence Based Policy April 2008). In addition, Be Well, Learn Well© program evaluations clearly indicate higher levels of behavior change, as well as increased comfort level of educators discussing wellness topics on a regular basis through the training and support of a medical professional. Teachers comment that they are learning along with their students as we explore how eating fresh fruits and vegetables directly impacts the brain, attention spans and even one’s mood. Students are motivated to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables as they learn how this directly impacts their physiology and neurodevelopment.

Our trained presenters relate to students on the student’s level and explore what is important to them. We use this approach to motivate students toward good health practices. For example, one preschool student announces that he wants to be a fireman and this leads the discussion to why fruits and vegetables are important for your muscles. We even identify which foods contain fiber that helps our hearts and our tummies. The advantage of using medical professionals allows us to teach children of all ages the how’s, what’s and why’s that motivate lifelong healthy behavior practices. Children gain an understanding of what is important for their own bodies, so eating spinach becomes important for muscles for iron and fiber for digestion. When children understand how their own bodies benefit from fresh fruits and vegetables or from sleep, they gain a new motivation to make healthy choices. We make nutrition and other health practices real for children whether it is because they want to learn to read or learn to be a soccer player. We capture the curiosity of children and empower them with tools for success both in health and learning.