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HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND SAFETY
(hws)
Colorado PTA believes that to achieve our vision to help every child’s potential become a reality, we must be strong advocates for the whole child, including his or her health and well-being. Healthy students are absent less often, experience fewer behavior problems, and have an easier time learning. Colorado PTA has a Health, Wellness, and Safety (HWS) Committee that advocates for youth and families and provides resources and training to support a healthy school environment and foster health, wellness, safety, and equity for students and families in our PTA communities. All PTA members are welcome to join the committee or attend committee meetings as time permits.

Join the Healthy School Movement

Schools across Colorado are forming health and wellness teams and focusing on creating healthy schools and promoting healthy lifestyles. PTA support and leadership can help these teams be successful. Each school has a unique culture and may have different areas of focus depending on their community’s needs. Focus areas may include the following:

  • Supporting healthy school nutrition programs
  • Supporting mental health and suicide prevention initiatives
  • Supporting social emotional health and equity education opportunities
  • Increasing access to opportunities for play, physical education, and movement in the classroom
  • Supporting safety initiatives and safety education programs
  • Focusing on healthy celebrations, family events, and non-food rewards
  • Holding healthy fundraisers
  • Offering healthy snack programs
    • Looking for information and resources to support your work in these focus areas? Explore these HWS programs and resources that the HWS Committee has shared in our newsletters and trainings from Colorado and national organizations. CLICK HERE

MAKE HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND SAFETY A FOCUS AREA FOR YOUR PTA

Consider any of these ideas to help your PTA get started…
  • Find out if your school has an existing school health or wellness team or committee. If so, does it include parents? What is it working on, and how can your PTA support those efforts?
  • Check out your district website to find your wellness policy and to see how health, wellness, and safety is being promoted and implemented.
  • Does your district have a healthy schools coordinator, point person, or team on staff? If so, make the connection and find out what HWS initiatives your district has in place, how PTAs and parents are engaged with those initiatives, and if not, how PTAs could provide helpful collaboration.
  • Talk to your school leaders to understand their priorities for your school and to find out how their perspective on school health fits in. When you talk to school leaders about the value of healthy schools, put it in terms of their priorities and offer PTA support.
  • Talk to your families to understand their priorities for their children’s health and education. Promote HWS initiatives that help address those priorities and that foster health equity whenever possible.
  • Do you have a school garden? A walk-to-school program? Physical activity clubs? Find out how they operate and invite them to share at your PTA meetings or family education nights.
  • Does your school provide opportunities for social emotional learning and programs to support mental health? Find out how they work and invite them to share at your PTA meetings or family education nights.
  • Talk to your PE teacher, kitchen manager, and school counselor. What is their vision for their programming, and how can PTA be supportive?
  • Make a point to share HWS news, trends, and opportunities at each PTA meeting.
  • Lead a discussion about your school’s health, wellness, and safety practices and priorities at a PTA meeting.
  • Explore ideas for healthy fundraising, healthy celebrations, and healthy non-food rewards when your PTA is planning activities for the year. Consider these as key opportunities to promote healthy lifestyles.
  • Invite your district wellness coordinator to come to a PTA meeting to share district level initiatives and promote best practices.
  • Attend a Colorado PTA HWS Committee meeting to learn about our state level priorities and share your perspective on HWS issues from the unit level – we need to hear from you! Don’t hesitate to contact us at hws@copta.org if you have questions or need advice.

    • Health, Wellness, and Safety Liaison

    Designating a Health, Wellness, and Safety (HWS) Liaison for your unit can help move your HWS efforts forward faster. The HWS Liaison’s role is to help connect PTA members with school, district, and community resources to support health, safety, and equity at schools and healthy lifestyles for students and families. The individual in this position serves as a liaison between the PTA and any school, district or community efforts related to HWS, such as a school wellness team. The individual may simply serve as the point person for resources and educational opportunities provided by the HWS committee or may lead school wellness efforts, depending on personal and PTA capacity and the school community. The HWS Liaison position can be filled by any person who has a genuine interest in youth health, safety, and equity.

    Find out more about being a Health Wellness and Safety Liaison here.

    Learn what this position is all about and how to adapt it to fit the time you have and the interests of your parent group on this webinar, recorded live by Colorado PTA and Colorado Action for Healthy Kids on
    February 6, 2018.

    View recorded webinar

    Health Wellness & Safety Committee Info Sheets

    COLORADO PTA HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND SAFETY COMMITTEE

    Health, Wellness, and Safety Committee goals are to:

    • Provide local PTA units with pertinent and up-to-date resources, information, and education
    • Effectively advocate for issues related to health, wellness, safety, and equity for all students
    • Collaborate and partner with like-minded individuals and organizations within Colorado to further enhance education and awareness of student health, wellness, safety, and equity issues
    • Develop successful collaboration with other Colorado PTA programs and initiatives
    • Encourage each PTA unit to appoint a Health, Wellness, and Safety Liaison
    To join the Colorado PTA Health Wellness and Safety Committee or to find out more, please contact the Colorado PTA Health Wellness and Safety Committee Chair at HWS@copta.org

    Health Wellness and Safety Resources
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    Scientific Literature Review of
    Marijuana-Related Health Effects

    This information is presented by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

    Per C.R.S. 25-1.5-110,  the Retail Marijuana Public Health Advisory Committee was appointed to review the science of marijuana-related health effects. The committee is responsible for reviewing the current scientific literature, summarizing the evidence, and translating the evidence into public health statements and recommendations that everybody can understand.

    The committee developed a systematic, unbiased criteria for selecting and evaluating studies to determine the weight of scientific evidence for marijuana health effects.

     

    Video Library

    Colorado PTA & National PTA Bring you all the latest Health, Wellness & Safety tools and information with its extensive library of videos! Make sure you watch the National PTA Webinar Series as well! Here are some Highlights!

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    How To Engage Families in Creating Healthier Schools
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    Educating Parents on Severe Allergies and Anaphylaxis Risks in Schools
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    Empowering Parents to Partner with Schools on Education and Emergency Response
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    National PTA Town Hall Forum on School Safety - Part 1/5
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    National PTA Town Hall Forum on School Safety - Part 2/5
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    National PTA Town Hall Forum on School Safety - Part 3/5
    PlayPlay
    National PTA Town Hall Forum on School Safety- Part 4/5
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    National PTA Town Hall Forum on School Safety - Part 5/5
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    Educating Parents on How to Prepare Kids with Severe Allergies for School at Home
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    #ShareAwesome Gift Giving Advice
    PlayPlay
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    COVID-19 INFORMATION

    • CDC, Center for Disease Control
    • WHO, World Health Organization (added a myth busters page)
    • US Food and Drug Administration

    National PTA Resources

    Colorado Public Health Resources

    For answers to general questions in multiple languages:
    Call (303) 389-1687 or (877) 462-2911
    Email COHELP@RMPDC.org (answers in English only)

    Mental Health Support for Kids and Families

    Colorado Crisis Center provides free, confidential, professional and immediate support for any mental health, substance use or emotional concern, 24/7/365. Call 1-844-493-TALK (8255) or text TALK to 38255 to speak to a trained professional.

    A new website provides comprehensive information for talking with teens about COVID-19 and mental health information.

    The Johnson Depression Center provides free educational community programs across Colorado.  They are offering parent support webinars, every Thursday 8-9:15 p.m., and webinar recordings are available if the live webinar was missed.  They address issues in parenting infants through early 20s during these difficult times.

    Anxiety and Coping with the Coronavirus: Managing worry – your kids’ and your own.   READ MORE

    What to Do (and Not Do) When Children Are Anxious: How to respect feelings without empowering fear.   READ MORE 

    How Mindfulness Can Help During COVID-19. Tips for calming anxiety during a difficult time.   READ MORE

    Tobacco-Free Kids “ Protect Kids: Fight Flavored E-Cigarettes”  campaign has developed a robust set of free, online  parent  resources because of concern that behaviors such as vaping that weaken the lungs may put kids at greater risk of more symptomatic infection with COVID-19.