Our Mission & Vision
Oregon Healthy Schools is dedicated to the mission that all students have the right to be safe, engaged, supported, challenged, and healthy. We recognize the research-based link between student academic achievement and health; our goal is to address barriers to student health and learning by providing schools with the support and training they need to serve all students across Oregon equitably.
Schools have direct contact with more than 95% of our nation's young people aged 5-17 years, for about six hours per day and up to 13 critical years of their social, psychological, physical, and intellectual development. Schools play an important role in promoting the health and safety of children and adolescents by helping them establish lifelong health patterns.
The Connection Between Health and Learning
The research on the connection between student health and learning is clear: healthy children learn better! In addressing student health and wellbeing, schools can experience numerous positive outcomes, such as improvements in student behavior and mental health, staff wellbeing and retention, and attendance rates and academic achievement.
Oregon Healthy Schools uses the
Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC), a framework created by the CDC, to address school health and ensure the well-being of students, staff, and the environment. Implementing the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model empowers schools to take effective and meaningful steps to improve every aspect of the school culture and environment.