School Wellness Teams
School Wellness Teams provide a centralized advocate group for the health of the school community. They provide programs and resources to educate students, parents, faculty and staff on different ways to be healthy.
The Role of School Wellness Teams
• To improve the health and well-being of the school community
• To create policies that promote physical activity and sound nutrition
• To support school programs that encourage health and wellness
• To develop a knowledgeable voice to promote physical activity and nutrition
• To utilize the resources available to the school within the school and/or community
• To establish an venue for health information and resources to be shared within the school
• To help the schools meet mandates and goals related to health and wellness
How to Create your Own Wellness Team
School Wellness Teams play a major role in developing the school policies that make the school a more positive, healthy place to work and learn. It is important to make sure members chosen for the wellness team have great ideas and will follow through to make them a reality.
Suggestions of people to be on your team:
• School Administrator
• School Board Member
• Health Education Teacher
• Physical Education Teacher
• School Health Coordinator/Health Curriculum Supervisor
• School Nurse
• Child Nutrition Director/Supervisor
• PTA representatives
• Parents
• Volunteer Health Agencies/Advocacy Groups
• Health Department Staff
• Coaches
• School counselor, Social worker, or Psychologist
• Medical professionals
• Civic and Service Organizations
Moving Forward with your Wellness Team
After potential members of the wellness team are selected, invitations should be sent out inviting them to join.
Once the Wellness Team is established meetings should be held monthly or bimonthly. Agenda #1 and Agenda #2 are sample agendas for School Wellness Team Meetings to get started!
Areas for your Wellness Team to Target
There are four main areas which are particularly helpful for Wellness Teams to keep in mind when planning and implementing projects. Those include:
- Before/Afterschool care
- Classroom Physical Activity
- Employee Wellness
- Physical Education
Team Training and Resources
Resources and trainings for wellness teams can be found at the Just Push Play Resources or Just Push Play Training pages
North Carolina Schools' Wellness Policies
North Carolina schools are mandated to have a school wellness policy in place. Explore the counties' policies!
