A toolkit for supporting the implementation of school employee wellness in districts/schools
Washington, D.C. – May 26, 2023 – The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) has developed a new toolkit to support the implementation of employee wellness initiatives in school districts and schools across the U.S.
The COVID-19 pandemic ignited ongoing issues within our K-12 public school educational system – a declining labor force, low staff morale and increasing levels of stress and anxiety. As a result, school districts are struggling to attract and retain employees, and many employees have health concerns that impact their work life.
An evidence-based school employee wellness initiative can improve employee health, increase productivity and performance, reduce absences, and increase employee retention. School employee wellness initiatives can also reduce turnover, enhance recruitment of prospective employees, lower healthcare costs, and benefit students.
SOPHE’s quick-start school employee wellness toolkit is a supplement to the National Association of Chronic Directors’ Healthy School, Healthy Staff, Healthy Students: A Guide to Improving School Employee Wellness.
The guide increases the capacity of school and school district staff to address school employee wellness, improve the health of all school employees, and improve student health and academic outcomes.
SOPHE’s toolkit includes the following fact sheets:
- Establishing Support for School Employee Wellness
- Engaging Key Partners for School Employee Wellness
- Taking Action to Improve School Employee Wellness
- Creating a Culture and Climate of Wellness for School Employees
“SOPHE is committed to addressing health equity, emotional well-being, and risk factors that contribute to chronic disease. This toolkit will assist schools, school districts and school staff to implement wellness policies and programs to reduce employee health risks and support employee well-being,” said William Potts-Datema, DrPH, MS, MCHES®, SOPHE’s CEO.
School employee wellness is an essential component of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model and is a critical contributor to students’ health and academic success.
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