Kids spend most of their time at school, so health and learning are a natural fit. When schools support students' health, children and adolescents are better equipped to reach their fullest potential. During Health Literacy Month SHAPE America encourages school professionals to work together to ensure that students are both healthy and successful academically.

SHAPE America Supports the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model

The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model is a holistic approach to educating the whole child developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ASCD formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The WSCC Model expands the components of a coordinated school health approach and integrates the tenets of a whole-child approach to education as the school draws on resources from the community. It establishes a safe, protective, and challenging environment for students to thrive. Through this collaborative approach, schools can strengthen students' health and learning.

The WSCC model includes 10 components:

• Health Education
• Physical Education & Physical Activity
• Nutrition Environment & Services
• Health Services
• Counseling, Psychological, & Social Services
• Social & Emotional Climate
• Physical Environment
• Employee Wellness
• Family Engagement
• Community Involvement

SHAPE America's new position statement supporting schools' use of the WSCC model outlines best practices for each of the 10 components and encourages health and physical educators to use the model to advocate for the alignment of health and education goals in an effort to meet the needs of all students.

Read more: https://health.gov/news/blog-bayw/2016/10/october-is-health-literacy-month-together-lets-enhance-students-health-and-learning/