The Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, Doug Currie, and the Minister of Health and Wellness, Carolyn Bertram, are pleased to announce that a national organization promoting school health will be operating from Prince Edward Island for the next five years.
The Joint Consortium for School Health (JCSH), established in 2005 by Canada’s ministers responsible for health and education, provides a coordinated and comprehensive approach to health promotion in schools. It encourages and supports cooperation and collaboration across sectors to build a stronger, healthier future for Canada’s children and youth.
“Schools play an important role in the health and development of students,” said Minister Currie. “A comprehensive approach to school health strengthens the link between improved health and educational outcomes and it encourages healthy behaviours that help students become healthy and productive members of society.”
“This is a great opportunity to profile, on the national stage, our leadership in comprehensive school health,” said Minister Bertram. “At the same time, we can show how effectively our health and education systems are working together to improve the well-being of Island students.”
There is increasing evidence that shows a strong inter-connection between education and health. The JCSH facilitates a comprehensive approach to school health which encompasses the whole school environment, including teaching and learning, the social and physical environment, school health policies, as well as partnerships and services.
In Prince Edward Island, an increased focus on comprehensive school health has resulted in:
• new health curriculum for Grades 1-9, which focuses on wellness, relationship and life-learning choices;
• school health data collection using the School Health Action Planning and Evaluation Systems (SHAPES);
• the expansion of school breakfast programs in Island schools; and
• a partnership with the PEI Healthy Eating Alliance to amend school nutrition policies.
The JCSH provides resources to assist schools in educating students on the importance of healthy living. Resources include the Healthy School Planner – a web-based tool that any school can use to assess, plan and implement strategies around healthy eating, physical activity and tobacco use. Also available from the Consortium is a comprehensive toolkit entitled Addressing Substance Use in Canadian Schools.
The JCSH rotates to a new lead jurisdiction every five years; Prince Edward Island will serve as the lead jurisdiction until 2015. The Secretariat, which will be established in early March, is jointly funded by a partnership of federal, provincial and territorial governments from across Canada. It will be staffed by an executive director and four employees; these staff are now being recruited.
For more information about the Joint Consortium of School Health, visit www.jcsh-cces.ca.