This following organizations support the development of healthy schools and communities as a primary focus of their work.
Joint Consortium for School Health
The Joint Consortium for School Health (JCSH) is a leader in supporting the advancement of comprehensive school health in Canada. The JCSH was established by provincial, territorial and federal governments to facilitate and initiate cooperation across the health and education sectors. Its focus is on providing information and support to member governments, building system capacity for promoting health through school-based and school-linked programs and being a catalyst for collaborative activities and actions.
To learn more about the comprenhensive school health approach (as modelled by Ontario's Foundations for a Healthy School), read the article, What is Comprehensive School Health?
The JCSH provides a variety of resources to help create and maintain healthy schools. Visit their website to access these resources and to learn more about the JCSH.
Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition
The Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition (OHSC) is an Ontario-wide, broad-based coalition, with members from public health units, school boards, hospitals, mental health agencies, universities, health-related organizations, education-related organizations, and parent and student organizations.
The OHSC emphasizes increasing the involvement of students, parents, education staff and communities in action around health issues, as well as creating conducive policies at all levels — provincial ministries, school boards and in local schools. The OHSC is dedicated to promoting the full implementation of the internationally and nationally supported ‘Healthy Schools’ concept across Ontario, through awareness-raising, capacity-building, knowledge-exchange of successes and best practices, and influencing policy development and funding.
To access OHSC resources to aid in the development of healthy schools and communities, visit their website.