School Employee Wellness

Schools and school districts can provide an employee wellness program for staff that includes healthy eating and physical activity. When staff model these healthy behaviors, they can reinforce them with students.

Additionally, supporting school employee wellness programs can

  • Improve staff retention and productivity.
  • Decrease employee absenteeism.
  • Decrease employee health care costs.
Strategies to Create an Employee Wellness Program
  • Gather data and information to determine the nutrition and physical activity needs of school staff members and assess the availability of existing school employee wellness activities and resources. CDC Worksite Wellness Scorecard is a great way to access your school’s wellness program.
  • Encourage administrative support for and staff involvement in school employee wellness.
  • Develop, carry out, and evaluate healthy eating and physical activity programs for all school employees.
Usual Sunday mornings with sporty friends

Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) has a toolkit, "School Employee Wellness: A Toolkit for Supporting the Implementation of School Employee Wellness in Districts/Schools" to help start a school employee wellness program today.

Fostering the physical and mental health of school employees also helps to support students’ health and academic success. Every school employee, no matter the role they play, contributes to a school’s mission. School staff can give their best when they feel their best and a school employee wellness program can help. Use this tip sheet for help with starting a school employee wellness program today.

Additional resources for help with sustaining school employee wellness programs.

If you, or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available now. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

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