Introduction

Healthy schools are necessary for learning. By healthy, we do not just mean the meals served. Health is much more than just food; health requires physical and mental well-being. In this series, we will discuss the ways that the government is attempting to promote healthy schools using both balanced diets and social-emotional awareness. The mental aspect of education is becoming more important as we see childhood suicide, depression, and anxiety increasing. The psychological aspect of health is much more difficult than diet, because each child comes from a different background of trauma. Coupling together mental and physical health leads to happiness as a whole individual. 

NASBE

NASBE’s mission is the following: We develop, support, and empower citizen leaders on state boards of education to strengthen public education systems so students of all backgrounds and circumstances are prepared to succeed in school, work, and life.The National Association of State Boards of Education discusses the WSCC (Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child) model, which breaks health into ten different aspects. The ten components include physical activity, nutrition services, health services, counseling services, social-emotional learning, healthy environment, wellness, family engagement, and community involvement. NASBE partnered with Child Trends, a research institute in Chicago, to document state policies and assess their alignment with WSCC. The findings can be found on Child Trends’s website.