April 2010 - Constituent Society and Partnership Corner

Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition

The Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition (OHSC) continues to be a diverse network of organizations and individuals dedicated to supporting the health and learning of students in Ontario through the promotion of Healthy School settings. We have over 340 members on our listserv, and hold 4 teleconferences and one face-to-face forum every year. In December 2010, we will be celebrating our 10th year anniversary!

Recent Coalition Highlights

Several of our members contributed to the writing of the School Health Guidance Document (SHGD). It is intended to support implementation of the Ontario Public Health Standards which involve a comprehensive health promotion approach with school boards and/or school staff. It clarifies this approach and provides guidance on influencing the development and implementation of healthy policies and creating or enhancing supportive school environments.

We have launched our Ontario School Health Initiatives Database to complement the SHGD. It will capture descriptions of Healthy School Initiatives and topic-specific activities occurring in jurisdictions across the province. This will greatly assist our networking and sharing of successes.

Several members have been involved in the development of a Clean Air Checklist [PDF] for teachers, in collaboration with other partners. The Checklist offers easy-to-implement suggestions for improving the air quality in classrooms. It has been endorsed by many organizations such as school boards, boards of health and other health and education organizations. It is in the process of being translated into French, as well as being adapted for daycares.

Our 9th Annual Forum will be held in London, Ontario on May 6-7, 2010 with the theme “School Connectedness: Providing a Sense of Belonging. What we can all do together!” Presenters will be illustrating how parent engagement, school administration engagement, student engagement, educator contributions and community partnerships contribute to creating a healthier school culture. See our forum webpage for program and registration details.

We continue to have strong linkages with the national and international school health communities through our Ministry of Health Promotion School Health Coordinator’s involvement on the Joint Consortium for School Health and our involvement with the Canadian Association for School Health. Several OHSC members will be attending CASH’s 6th national conference in Dartmouth, NS April 21st -23rd.

As always, we welcome any new members! Visit our website for further information about us and our annual forum, our membership form, or to contact our Chair.