School Health Index (SHI) - Action for Healthy Kids
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Action for Healthy Kids School Health Index (SHI)

 

What Is the School Health Index (SHI)? 

The School Health Index (SHI) is a research-based assessment tool that helps you understand which school health policies and best practices your school or district has/does not have in place that support healthy students and prepare them to learn.

Our SHI includes key questions on various school health topics from the CDC’s version of the School Health Index to provide your school with a shorter, easy-to-complete assessment. AFHK’s newly expanded SHI addresses health topic areas consistent with the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model and puts a greater emphasis on Whole Child heath by adding in Social and Emotional Climate questions, as well as increasing the focus of how families play a key role in improving childhood health behaviors and development.

The WSCC model places students at the center and emphasizes the role of the community in supporting the school, the connections between health and academic achievement, and the importance of evidence-based school policies and practices. AFHK’s SHI also includes cross-cutting questions that address policies and practices that support multiple health topics.

Who and Why?

 

Your entire school health team can complete the assessment collaboratively online via AFHK’s School Portal. AFHK’s School Health Index is designed to give all stakeholders related to students’ well-being an opportunity to collaborate, assess scores, and access valuable resources for student health and learning. We know that kids do best when their families and schools are working together to support them in reaching their full potential. Whether a parent, teacher, school administrator or caregiver – we all have a role to play in supporting and reinforcing healthy behaviors both at home and in school.

The SHI assessment is well worth your time and effort and provides valuable insight into the health of your school. Identify strengths and weaknesses, define goals that suit your community needs, demonstrate the need to make changes, and document starting points in order to show progress over time. Once completed, we’ll provide you with an auto-generated report that summarizes your responses and identifies areas for growth. Focus your school health efforts on these improvement opportunities to ensure you’re providing a safe and supportive learning environment that helps children thrive in body and mind.

Check out this interview with Michelle Auld from Brooklyn Center Community School District and see how the SHI supported her district wellness initiatives.

Take Action: Completing the School Health Index

 

Here are some simple steps to complete the AFHK School Health Index:

 First, gather your school health team. Before jumping in, evaluate your team for any gaps in representation and look for opportunities to bring more voices to the table.

Next, complete the School Health Index in the School Portal. Divvy up the questions or complete as a team, using the paper copies linked below. Once ready, follow the instruction guide for completing in the School Portal.

Visit AFHK's School PortalOpens in new window

Lastly, use the results from your summary report to assess your school’s status and utilize AFHK resources and support to make improvements and advance your SHI score.

Check out the videos below for strategies and resources to support some of the most common challenges schools face within the different sections of the SHI.

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