This Program information provided by the Adolescent Health Section of the Office of Family Health Services.

Healthy Kids Learn Better - A Coordinated School Health Approach

Our Vision: All youth in Oregon are healthy & successful learners who contribute positively to their communities.

Healthy Kids Learn Better (HKLB) is a statewide effort to help local schools and communities form partnerships and reduce physical, social and emotional barriers to learning. This program is currently being re-organized as a Public Health Division-led effort.

• The Eight Components of Coordinated School Health

Together we are reducing barriers to learning in many ways, including:

• Promoting, at the state level, the connections between health and education, and building supportive funding, leadership and policy through implementation of the Coordinated School Health Blueprint for Action
• Providing technical assistance to local school districts on forming Healthy Kids Learn Better Teams, assessing their local needs and developing a Coordinated School Health Approach
• Training teachers on research-based health and prevention curricula
• Providing assistance on building and selecting comprehensive health education programs that work

Healthy Kids Learn Better seeks to provide young people with information and skills needed to avoid risk behaviors that are often established during youth. These behaviors include:

• Tobacco use
• Unhealthy dietary behaviors
• Inadequate physical activity
• Alcohol and other drug use
• Sexual behaviors that can result in HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases, and unintended pregnancies
• Behaviors that may result in intentional injuries (violence and suicide) and unintentional injuries (motor vehicle crashes)

These behaviors place young people at significantly increased risk for serious health problems, both now and in the future.

Coordinated school health has been in place at many schools across the country with great results. When existing programs and resources within a school community are coordinated to address a given health behavior or health problem. Schools have benefited from:

• Improved student performance and test scores
• Less absenteeism
• Reduced drop out rates
• Improved rates of physical activity
• Less fighting
• Decreased risky behaviors

• Reduce duplication
• Save money
• Improve staff morale and attendance
• Support teacher teamwork