Health and education are closely intertwined. Island Health works as a partner with K-12 schools, school districts and communities to create an environment where health and wellbeing are promoted across the whole school.
How can Island Health support your school?
Local Healthy Schools Teams, consisting of various health professionals, are committed to supporting school health in a planned, integrated and holistic way. Medical Health Officers serve School Boards under the BC School Act.
The Healthy School Team can help your school:
- Identify health priorities or topics to focus on
- Support connections with community partners, resources, and services
- Share and interpret health information
- Find resources and grants to support healthy school projects
- Support student and staff health and wellbeing
- Explore and collaborate on healthy schools plans
- Population & Public Health, Health Schools Team Infographic
- Using a Comprehensive School Health Approach
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A Comprehensive School Health (CSH) approach encourages school communities to come together to create a learning environment where health and wellbeing are valued and promoted across the whole school. It encompasses the whole school environment with coordinated actions in four interrelated areas:
- Relationships & Environments
- Teaching & Learning
- Community Partnerships
- School Policies
To learn more and find resources to implement CSH in your school community:
Contact the Healthy Schools Team
- General and Regional Inquiries
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For general inquiries, please contact the Healthy Schools Team.
Want to connect with a team in your region? Contact your local public health unit and/or a School Health Promoter near you:
Health Resources for School Communities
Below each topic you may find resources for your school community, including resources specific to Schools & Educators and Parents/Caregivers.
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Body Image and Nutrition
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Nurturing Confidence – Food, Eating and Bodies in Schools
School & Educator Resources
For support with school food programming, email us and connect with a Public Health Dietitian in your area.
Lesson Plans / Classroom Activities:
Parent/Caregiver Resources
Nutrition
Eating Disorders & Body Image
- Climate Adaptation and Resilience
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Climate change is affecting our health and wellbeing. It can also directly impact learning, e.g. school access may be limited during adverse weather events, extreme heat can affect concentration. Integrating climate adaptation and resilience in all aspects of the school environment is an integral part of the response to climate change. More importantly, students across BC and Canada are calling for a more just and holistic climate change education.
School & Educator Resources
Lesson Plans / Classroom Activities:
Parent/Caregiver Resources
- Common Childhood Illnesses and Prevention
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Everyone can help prevent the spread of infections by practicing proper handwashing. Check out the handwashing webpages from BCCDC and HealthLinkBC.
School & Educator Resources
Lesson Plans / Classroom Activities:
Parent/Caregiver Resources
Illness Prevention
Common Childhood Illness
- Dental Health
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School & Educator Resources
Every three years, a province-wide kindergarten dental survey takes place in all schools to monitor trends in early childhood dental health and to identify children with dental concerns. The last survey took place in the 2022/2023 school year.
Lesson Plans / Classroom Activities:
Parent/Caregiver Resources
Supplementary Benefits
- Diabetes, Glucagon and Nursing Support Services
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School & Educator Resources
- Immunization and Vaccines
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Immunizations - Island Health
School & Educator Resources
Lesson Plans / Classroom Activities:
Parent/Caregiver Resources
- Injury Prevention
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Everyone - students, families, schools and community - can benefit from learning how to prevent serious and fatal injuries in the home, at play and on the move.
Concussion Awareness Training Tool - CATT
BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, Injury Priorities - BCIRPU
Injury Topics – Parachute
School & Educator Resources
Lesson Plans / Classroom Activities:
- Kindergarten Preparation
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School & Educator Resources
Parent/Caregiver Resources
- Lice Management
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Head lice are common, especially among children aged 3 to 12. They can impact children's well-being by causing discomfort, frustration, unnecessary embarrassment, and financial strain on families due to the time and costs involved in treatment. Head Lice are primarily transmitted by close head to head contact. Head lice do not jump or fly. While they can be a nuisance, head lice do not spread any diseases and are not related to personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home, school, or community. Anyone who has hair can get head lice.
- Mental Health
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Language Matters - Province of BC: The words and concepts we use are powerful tools that have the ability to stigmatize, illuminate or empower. This resource emphasizes the use of language that is accurate, inclusive, stigma free, strengths-based, culturally responsive, and respectful of individual identities and differences.
School & Educator Resources
Parent/Caregiver Resources
- Managing Medical Complexities in School & Nursing Support Services
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Nursing Support Services
Complex Healthcare Needs/Nursing Support Services
Nursing Support Services for Seizure Care
Nursing Support Services Referral
School & Educator Resources
Anaphylaxis
Seizure Care
Parent/Caregiver Resources
- Physical Activity and Literacy
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School & Educator Resources
Lesson Plans / Classroom Activities:
Parent/Caregiver Resources
- Sexual Health/Maturation
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Island Health Youth Clinics provide free and confidential health services to individuals 25 years of age and under.
Canadian Centre for Child Protection
School & Educator Resources
Lesson Plans / Classroom Activities:
Parent/Caregiver Resources
- Sleep
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School & Educator Resources
Parent/Caregiver Resources
- Substance Use (Including Vaping and Smoking)
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Language Matters - Province of BC The words and concepts we use are powerful tools that have the ability to stigmatize, illuminate or empower. This resource emphasizes the use of language that is accurate, inclusive, stigma free, strengths-based, culturally responsive, and respectful of individual identities and differences. Language Matters-Province of BC
Here to Help-Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research
Harm Reduction for Substance Use - Island Health
Youth and Family Substance Use Resources - Island Health
School and Educator Resources
Lesson Plans / Classroom Activities:
Parent/Caregiver Resources
Grant Funding Programs
Please check back regularly as we continue to include more grant funding options for youth and school communities.
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List of Grant Funding Programs
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School Grants
Youth Action Grants
School Newsletter Inserts
We are currently updating and adding health and wellness related newsletter inserts. If you are not seeing a newsletter insert for a specific health topic, please reach out to our team to get one customized.
- Newsletter inserts by health topic
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Contact the Healthy Schools Team and/or your local Public Health Unit.
Learn more about:
Community Engagement
Food Security Hubs
Public Health Nutrition
