What is a Healthy School?

A healthy school is one where school leaders, staff, students, parents/caregivers, and community partners all work together to create a safe and inclusive positive environment where students can realize their full potential.

The benefits of a healthy school include:

• A stronger greater sense of belonging and school connectedness. 
• Fewer school absences and improved academic success.
• Better mental health and well-being for students and staff.
• Increased resilience, self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Increased physical activity and decreased sedentary behaviour.
• Increased fruit and vegetable consumption.
• Lower rates of tobacco and substance use.

Healthy students are better able to learn, and learning lays the foundation for lifelong health and well-being.

The School Health Program

Our goal is to promote the optimal health, development, and learning of school-aged children and youth across Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka.

We work in partnership with local school boards, schools and communities to plan and carry out initiatives that promote health and well-being using a comprehensive school health approach that supports the whole school community.

Support for School Boards 

We collaborate closely with local school boards to address shared health and well-being priorities.

Our support includes:

• Participating in regular meetings with local school boards.
• Providing liaison support to facilitate communication and collaboration between school boards and public health programs. 
• Providing tailored support to plan and implement comprehensive school health strategies through policies, projects, and joint initiatives.
• Offering credible information, resources and guidance on a wide range of public health topics.

Support for Schools

We partner with school leaders, educators, and staff to support health and well-being initiatives that promote positive outcomes for students and the broader school community.

Support may include:

• Collaborating with schools to understand health and well-being priorities.
• Participating as a member of Healthy Schools or or well-being teams, where appropriate.
• Supporting the planning and implementation of school health initiatives, including the Healthy Schools Recognition Program and activities identified through school action plans..
• Sharing public health data, research, and recommendations to support:
  • Policy development
  • School action plans
  • Grant applications and health-related projects
• Sharing credible information and resources on a variety of public health topics.
• Providing presentations and learning opportunities to support educator professional development.
• Providing health curriculum resources and support to enhance health education.
• Supporting opportunities for student, parent and family engagement in school health initiatives.
• Connecting schools with appropriate health unit programs and services. 
• Supporting schools to identify and navigate local community programs and services.
• Promoting positive school environments that support student success.

Whether you are planning Healthy Schools initiatives, addressing specific health concerns, or looking to strengthen engagement within your school community,  we work collaboratively with schools to support student health and well-being.

What is Comprehensive School Health?

Comprehensive School Health (CSH) is an internationally recognized, evidence-informed approach that supports student learning and educational outcomes by creating healthy school environments and promoting positive, sustainable change.

• Policy
• Teaching and learning
• Partnerships and services
• Social and physical environment  

The greatest impact on student health, development and learning occurs when action is taken across all four areas together.

We work with school boards, schools and school communities throughout Simcoe Muskoka to support the integration of these four key components  into their existing plans for promoting  school health and well-being. We use the Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health (JCSH) Health Promoting Schools approach as a guide.

The Healthy Schools Approach

The Healthy Schools approach is a practical way to apply the principles of comprehensive school health within your school. It is a flexible process that supports schools in planning and implementing  health and well-being initiatives that reflect the needs, strengths and priorities of their school community. 

Here’s how it works:

Step 1 - Form your team: Bring together  school staff, students, families and community partners to guide the work. Create an inclusive team that reflects the diverse voices, experiences and abilities within your school community.
Step 2 - Identify strengths and needs: Use data, student voice, and feedback from your school community to identify strengths, needs and priorities and choose a health goal. 
Step 3 - Develop and implement an action plan: Create an action plan that fits your school's context by developing a new plan or incorporating health and well-being activities into an existing plan. Implement strategies and activities that promote health and well-being across the school.
Step 4 - Reflect, adjust & celebrate achievements: Monitor progress throughout the year, make adjustments  as needed and celebrate successes along the way to build momentum and maintain engagement within your school community.

Using a Healthy Schools approach helps create meaningful, sustainable change while supporting student health, engagement and learning.

We support schools in using the Healthy Schools approach by providing resources, guidance and connections to support team building, priority setting and planning for health and well-being initiatives.

Helpful Resources:

• World Health Organization: Health Promoting Schools
• Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health (JCSH)
• Canadian Healthy School Standards and Indicators for Health Promoting Schools

Healthy Schools Week

National Healthy Schools Week occurs each year in early October. We encourage school boards and schools to use this as an opportunity to reflect on health and well-being priorities for the year ahead, identify goals and activities to include in your school action plans and to engage the school community in the process. 

Healthy Schools Recognition Program

The Healthy Schools Recognition Program provides schools with tools and resources to promote and enhance the health and well-being of students, school staff, and the broader school community.

If your school is new to the Healthy Schools Recognition Program, we can support you with registration and provide guidance as you begin the certification process. If your school has participated before, we can provide resources, and support to help you build on existing activities and develop action plans that reflect your school’s unique strengths and needs.

How can students, parents/families, and community partners get involved?

Student Engagement

Student engagement involves creating safe and supportive environments where youth can share their perspectives, contribute to decisions and take action on issues that matter to them. It supports a sense of belonging, strengthens relationships and encourages leadership in academic and non-academic settings.

Engaging students in a Healthy Schools approach supports student voice by involving youth  in identifying and addressing health priorities within their school community. Providing students with a role on your Healthy Schools Committee and other school groups recognizes their leadership and the important contributions they make in shaping their school community.

Helpful Resources: 

• School Mental Health Ontario: Student Engagement Toolkit
• Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions: Quality Standard for Youth Engagement
  • The quality standard describes nine principles that support effective youth engagement and includes background information, rationale, best practices considerations for  youth, agencies and decision makers.
• Joint Consortium for School Health (JCSH): Youth Engagement Toolkit (2025) 
  • This toolkit provides research, rationale and practical strategies to support meaningful student engagement, helping educators, organizations and decision-makers engage students as active partners in implementing comprehensive school health.

Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO): Youth Wellness Champions (YWC) Program

The RNAO Youth Wellness Champions Program is an innovative, peer-based program based on youth engagement principles, designed to help youth develop the knowledge and skills they need to cope with mental health and substance use issues.

The SMDHU School Health Program is piloting this program during the 2026-2027 school year. To learn more about the Youth Wellness Champion Program, connect with your School Health public health nurse.

Parent and Family Engagement

When parents/caregivers and families are involved in their children's education, everyone benefits. Opportunities to connect with schools and communicate regularly with educators help foster positive relationships and support student success. 

We support schools in engaging parents, families and caregivers as partners in identifying health and well-being priorities and supporting Healthy Schools initiatives.

Helpful Resources: 

• Public Health Ontario: Family Engagement in Comprehensive School Health Programing 

Community Partnerships

Creating a healthy school is a shared effort, and strong community partnerships play an important role. By engaging community partners in the Healthy Schools approach, schools can access resources, guidance and support to promote health and well-being initiatives.  These collaborations help create opportunities that are meaningful, inclusive and sustainable.

Partners may include:

• Public health units (like ours), offering guidance, tools, and support from School Health public health nurses
• Local health and social service agencies
• Mental health organizations
• Recreation and physical activity providers 
• Cultural and Indigenous organizations
• Parent and family groups
• Municipal and regional services

These partnerships help schools address a wide range of health topics, including nutrition, physical activity, mental health  and substance use. By working together, schools and community partners can strengthen supports that promote student health, learning and well-being.