Canadian Alliance for Healthy School Communities

Background of the organization:

The Canadian Alliance for Healthy School Communities (CAHSC) is a collaboration of stakeholders spanning the interest of both health and education working together to advance healthy school communities across Canada. The Alliance focuses on strengthening equitable collaboration and knowledge exchange to support leaders and decision-makers in creating the conditions for K-12 school communities to fully embrace wellbeing. CAHSC is stewarded by PHE Canada, Ophea, DASH BC, Ever Active Schools, and the Canadian Association of School Administrators (CASSA).

Grant description:

Social and emotional wellbeing is increasingly recognized as a relevant issue in education. Yet, programs and interventions to support wellbeing at the classroom and school level have had uneven uptake across Canada, and are often difficult to sustain over the long term. A more coordinated approach is required to ensure that all students experience a school environment that supports their wellbeing. This involves not only scaling out evidence-based programs, but also embedding wellbeing into school policy, culture, structure, strategy and budgets.

School districts are a key entry point for effective system-wide implementation of wellbeing approaches. In order to integrate wellbeing into K-12 education systems, we must equip school system leaders and decision-makers (superintendents, principals and school trustees) with the knowledge and practices to develop and implement more comprehensive wellbeing strategies.

The Foundation will provide a grant to the Canadian Alliance for Healthy School Communities to mobilize the concept of going “beyond the binder” towards a true prioritization of wellbeing in K-12 education.  CAHSC will use the funds to build their capacity to promote action on district-wide wellbeing among its membership, and support superintendents, principals and school trustees across Canada to take a more systemic approach to wellbeing.