Grants fund efforts to help improve student health

CSBA has been awarded nearly $1 million in grant funding from a number of sources aimed at improving oral health, tackling asthma and improving indoor air quality; providing technical help to districts addressing schoolwide health issues; and encouraging school boards and other local elected officials to collaborate effectively to resolve community health problems.

“We are making headway in our ongoing campaign to improve student health and to educate school board members about the strong link between student wellness and learning,” said Martin Gonzalez, assistant executive director for Governance and Policy Services. “These funds will allow us to build on our earlier work and to initiate additional services that promote student wellness. We continue to focus our efforts on educating governing boards about the link between wellness and student achievement.”

The grants include:

• Healthy Communities/Healthy Schools Project—This grant provides $300,000 over three years from the Vitamin Cases Settlement Fund. It calls for CSBA to work collaboratively with the Cities, Counties and Schools Partnership to provide school board members with the knowledge, resources and tools needed to make healthy changes throughout the communities and schools they serve.
• Indoor Air Quality Schools Project—This $300,000 grant over two years from the California Endowment aims to address indoor air quality and asthma in schools. Among other tasks, CSBA will research, write and distribute fact sheets and policy briefs relating to indoor and outdoor air quality, proper medical management and support, and asthma action plans. In addition, the grant calls for developing partnerships and collaborative agreements with asthma experts and formation of an advisory committee to research, study, inform and engage CSBA’s leadership and membership on taking a comprehensive approach to effectively managing asthma in schools.
• School Health Project—Another grant from the California Endowment, this provides $196,000 over two years to develop an action plan to provide support for student health issues. After compiling and analyzing the data from this research, CSBA will develop policy briefs and an action plan to offer technical assistance and support for governing boards dealing with critical student health issues.
• Oral Health Project—Through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, CSBA is receiving $100,000 over two years as a subcontractor with the Dental Health Foundation to identify and highlight effective practices and resources.

Related link:
Find out more about CSBA’s programs to promote student wellness @ http://www.csba.org/AboutCSBA/CSBAFoundation/StudentWellness.aspx