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Educators
Education and academic achievement are directly linked to health outcomes and quality of life. In addition, lifelong health habits are often developed in childhood. As a result, educators are key partners in improving the long-term health of a community.
Lifelong health habits, such as good nutrition, physical fitness, and stress management, are developed in childhood. Moreover, the relationship between more education and improved health outcomes is well known, with years of formal education correlating strongly with improved work and economic opportunities, reduced psychosocial stress, and healthier lifestyles. Working in collaboration with leaders in public health, health care, business, and local non-profits, educators can make an incredible impact on the current and future health of their communities.
There are a number of strategies that educators throughout the education continuum, from early childhood through graduate and professional education, can implement to improve the health of their community including:
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Get the word out. Let your colleagues know about the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps and the role that education plays in improving the health of your community.
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Contact your local and state health departments to find out and participate in your community’s response to the Rankings and health improvement. For example, participate in a local task force or, if none exists, organize one to tackle these pressing issues in your community.
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Seize on the findings to push for policy or systems changes in the education environment that can improve health, such as:
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Increasing the availability of high quality early-learning environments in your community such as quality child care programs;
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Engaging parents in the education of your students. Parents are children’s earliest and most constant educators and learning models. Keeping parents involved in the education of your students will help your students achieve academically and help reinforce healthy living habits;
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Developing or building on current mentoring programs for students in your communities;
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Creating a healthier school environment by offering healthy snacks and school meals, encouraging at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day, and working with partners to develop safe walking and bicycling routes to school;
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Increasing access to high quality before- and after-school programs such as those at Boys & Girls Clubs or YMCAs; and
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Supporting efforts to increase high school graduation rates and encourage post-secondary education.
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Incorporate Rankings content and the many factors that influence health in your curriculum with strategies such as
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Integrating the topics of health and its many factors (including but not limited to nutrition, physical activity, risk-behaviors, use of the healthcare system, etc.) into your lesson plans across all subject areas such as math, science, social studies, and history. The National Education Association Health Information Network provides many resources for classroom activities.
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Using the County Health Rankings report as a learning tool. Here is an example of a college-level assignment and a guide for a follow up discussion that emphasizes the many factors that contribute to health as well as developing data analysis and interpretation skills.
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Share your resources. Offer your time, staff, and/or funding with community partners. These are resources that can go toward community plans and programs aimed at tackling factors that affect health.
Visit the Roadmaps to Health Action Center to find valuable tools and resources to support your community’s work to improve health. Here are additional tools and tips that educators may find useful:
Improving Education Systems and Outcomes
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National Association for the Education of Young Children provides information on pursuing accreditation for your early childhood program and identifying accredited programs in your community.
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PTO Today provides information on increasing parental information in students’ education and your schools activities.
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National Mentoring Partnership provides a toolkit and resources for starting a new mentoring program or for finding mentoring programs in your community.
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Healthy Schools Program Framework (from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation) outilnes specific steps schools can take to create healthier school environments.
Other Partners Interested in Promoting Health Through Education
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National Education Association is a national labor union that represents public school teachers and other support personnel. The goals of NEA are to improve the quality of teaching, increase student achievement and make schools safer, better places to learn.
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United Way is focused on improving education, increasing financial stability and promoting healthy lives for all.
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Alliance for a Healthier Generation works to address childhood obesity. The goal of the Alliance is to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015 and to empower kids nationwide to make healthy lifestyle choices.
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Afterschool Alliance works to ensure that all children have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs.
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YMCA of the USA has three areas of focus: youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.
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Boys & Girls Club of America is a national organization whose mission is to enable all young people, especially those most in need, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
