Coordinated School Health
The Coordinated School Health (CSH) initiative at the Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky Department for Public Health is funded by a grant from the CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health for improving health and educational outcomes of young people. The state CSH strategic plan includes these long-range goals:
Goal I: To increase the capacity of schools, districts and communities to promote and support healthy behaviors and choices in school-age youth through CSH programs.
Goal II: To increase the capacity of schools, districts and communities to reduce health disparities among school-age youth at disproportionate risk for chronic diseases, HIV, sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. A CSH program at the school level is an organized set of programs, policies and activities. This coordinated model consists of assessing the school environment, having a school health or wellness team and developing an action plan. The group works together on these components:
- Health education
- Physical education and other physical activity opportunities
- Nutrition services
- Health services
- Counseling and psychological services
- School health and safety policies and environment
- Family and community involvement
- Health promotion for staff
The CSH teams at the KDE and KDPH are available to provide professional development, technical assistance, resources and CSH data to schools, districts and their community partners. Six priority health-risk behaviors of youth contribute to the leading causes of illness and death among our youth. These six priority health-risk behaviors are monitored in Kentucky by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. These behaviors are all preventable:
- Alcohol and drug use
- Injury and violence (including suicide)
- Tobacco use
- Unhealthy dietary behaviors
- Physical inactivity
- Sexual risk behaviors
YRBS data can be used to describe risk behaviors, create awareness, set program goals, develop programs and policies and as a data source for grant writing. When schools, families and the community work together to support positive youth development, risk behaviors are reduced and student health and academic achievement are promoted. CSH programs provide the framework for creating these essential linkages.
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Students Taking Charge |
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National Action for Healthy Kids in collaboration with partners, developed the Students Taking Charge (STC) program to positively engage students in their school wellness efforts. STC is a nationally recognized program that helps improve our school health policies and environment by improving our youth’s eating habits and increasing our youth’s physical activity. In Kentucky, partners at the state and local levels have helped to implement a STC program in numerous high schools across the state beginning in the 2009-2010 school year. This program utilizes a STC Facilitator Guide, STC surveys, action plan and success story documents.
 Facilitator guide
STC FG Tobacco Prevention Added Pages
The STC documents can be found below.
STC Powerpoint for Jan. 9, 2012 conference call
STC Student Survey
STC Parent Survey
STC School Health Index Preview Survey
STC Student Survey Tally Sheet
STC Parent Survey Tally Sheet
STC School Health Index Preview Survey Tally Sheet
STC Action Plan
Funding Form for 2012 Recipients
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Kentucky Tobacco Free Schools |
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