Healthy School Communities

For resources, grant opportunities and much more, follow this link to our Healthy School Communities website.

What is a Healthy School Community?

A healthy school community promotes a culture of wellness for all its members: students, teachers, administrators, principals, staff, parents, and community partners. (PHE Canada)

Comprehensive School Health is an internationally-recognized and effective approach for building healthy school communities. It can be used to address a variety of health issues and can improve health, education, and social outcomes for children and youth.

A Healthy School Community:

• Recognizes that healthy students learn better and achieve more
• Understands that schools can directly influence students’ health and behaviours
• Encourages healthy lifestyle choices, and promotes students’ health and wellbeing
• Incorporates health into all aspects of school and learning
• Links health and education issues and systems
• Needs the participation and support of families and the community at large

How is Student Health Supported in a Healthy School Community?

Health and education are interdependent: healthy students are better learners, and better-educated individuals are healthier. Research has shown that a Healthy School Community is an effective way to promote that linkage, improving both health and educational outcomes and encouraging healthy behaviours that last a lifetime.

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education encourages and supports schools to promote Healthy School Communities.

HRCE School Communities Team