School Health Program
Promoting health policies and practices to support student academic success
Who we are
Our purpose is to protect and improve the health, academic performance, and emotional well-being of school-age children and adolescents.
The program focuses on these improvements:
• Nutrition
• Physical activity
• Tobacco prevention
• Management of chronic health conditions
• Trauma-engaged practices addressing students’ mental health
The School Health Program partners with Alaska’s Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) Health and Safety team. They work together to develop education opportunities for school staff. They promote policies and practices that support the whole child. These focus on physical, emotional, mental, and intellectual needs. Every school should include physical education, health education, and social support systems to foster student well-being. Schools can help shape students into well-rounded, healthy, and successful adults.
What we do
The School Health Program uses the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model. The program is a collaboration of several state and non-governmental agencies. These agencies work together to promote the overall health of students and the school setting. Visit the Virtual Healthy School's website for an interactive overview of the model.
In 2023, Alaska received a five-year (2023–2028) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cooperative agreement for school health. For more information, visit the Alaska School Health Partnership/Healthy Schools Project
School health focuses on the following:
- Health and nursing services
- Behavioral and mental health services
- Health and nutrition education and nutritious foods
- Physical education and physical activity throughout the day
- Environmental health
Our program works with DEED to provide support:
- School Safety and Well-Being Summit (for registration and/or recordings)
- DEED E-Learning and Continuing Education
- School Health ECHO webinar series
School Health Profiles
This program administers the School Health Profiles survey. Profiles is a survey sponsored by the CDC. It is conducted by the State of Alaska every even year.
For more information and data inquiries, please visit Alaska School Health Profiles.