We work to improve the health and well-being of school-aged children across Southern Windsor and Northern Windham Counties.  We support supervisory unions, school districts, community organizations, students and their families by helping with high-impact strategies that make a difference in health.

Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child

We help schools develop wellness teams to build a culture of good health and wellness using the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model.

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors has released new videos to increase awareness and promote implementation of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model. The videos are designed for various audiences, including state education and health departments, schools, and partners, to encourage adoption and strengthen implementation of the WSCC model. The videos feature three school districts nationally that support and implement the WSCC model. One of those districts featured is Springfield School District.

Watch the videos now

All the local education agencies have a functional WSCC committee that meets throughout the school-year to improve the health and well-being of our students, with a focus on school wellness policies.

School Nursing

We assist school nurses so they can better support student and family access to health services. Learn more about how we work with school nurses.

Today’s students come to school with more challenges related to health and learning than ever before. Essential School Health Services focuses on improving student outcomes, school attendance, the mitigation of challenges such as chronic health conditions, complex medical needs, and other barriers related to social determinants of health, such as poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, food and housing insecurity, and lack of health care.

Standards of Practice: School Health Services Manual

Access to Care

We help schools support access to medical care and promote medical and dental homes for children and youth. We support school and health care provider relationships and sharing health records.  We support efforts to ensure families know recommended times for well-care visits, and what to expect at the visits following Bright Futures guidelines.

The 802 Smiles Network of School Dental Health Programs connects Vermont's various school dental health programs under one umbrella. Its goal is to eliminate oral health disparities and improve oral health for all Vermont children.

Springfield School District has developed a partnership with Springfield Medical Care Systems (SMCS) to meet the health needs of their students. Under the new arrangement, each school will become a school-based health center. Students will get access to monthly medical care, behavioral health support, and ongoing dental care.

Learn More

Youth Risk Behavior Survey

The Health Department and the Vermont Agency of Education sponsor the Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The YRBS was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  to monitor priority health risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death, disease, injury and social problems among middle and high school students. We share this public health data with schools and communities to promote response to decrease risk behaviors.

We encourage schools to use YRBS data to make decisions about how to support student health. One way to do this is the Getting to Y program, which is an opportunity for students to take a lead in bringing meaning to their own Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, and to take steps to strengthen their school and community.

Resources for Wellness

We help schools get grants to support proven strategies such as Farm-to-School, and Girls on the Run. Find out more about strategies to improve health of Vermont’s school-aged children.

Medicaid Adminstrative Claiming

We help local education agencies to meet the objectives of the Medicaid Adminstrative Claiming agreement.