HEALTH & WELLNESS PROGRAM FOR SCHOOLS
Our Health & Wellness Program empowers schools with the resources for ALL students to be healthy. By fostering a supportive community of peers and mentors, we equip students with the skills needed to thrive in the classroom and beyond.
Generation Schools Network (GSN) is a nationally recognized non-profit that empowers the Whole Student with advocacy programs, curriculum, and other educational tools. GSN staff partner with schools to bring experience and evidence-based strategies to strengthen schools in the following program areas: Health & Wellness, Leadership & Improvement, Redesign & Innovation, and College & Career.
Our Health & Wellness interventions are designed to create lasting improvement in mental health, physical education, and other performance outcomes. Most programs correspond directly to the requirements of funding opportunities.
We offer seven main interventions in the following program areas:
Check Out Our Other Programs for Schools:
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) PROGRAM
Advocacy, Professional Development, and Evaluation
Generation Schools Network (GSN)’s Advocacy Program supports students’ health and wellness. Our diverse programs provide a wide range of interventions, but all are guided by GSN’s five goals of Advocacy:
Build relationships
Support academic success
Overcome barriers
Develop essential life skills
Plan for college and career
GSN’s social-emotional learning program includes planning, implementation support, and teacher training. All Advocacy members get access to the K-12 SEL curricula and recommended tools for measuring progress.
During the 2018-2019 school year, Dr. Lee Morgan, Assistant Professor at the University of Northern Colorado, completed research on the effectiveness of our program. He found that GSN’s interventions lead to significant gains in relationship skills, social awareness, and responsible decision-making. To access the report, click here.
RESTORATIVE PRACTICES
CUSTOMIZABLE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, CONSULTATION, AND COACHING/MENTORING
GSN defines Restorative Practices (RP) as a whole-school, relational approach to building school climate and addressing student behavior that fosters belonging over exclusion, social engagement over control, and meaningful accountability over punishment. Research demonstrates that schools that implement this type of programming with fidelity and consistency afford all students the opportunity to receive equitable access to education that enable them to achieve individual outcomes to the greatest extent possible*
Program Outcomes:
Tools and strategies to address conflict and harm across populations (e.g., student to teacher, teacher to teacher, etc.), including for students with diverse needs (Special Education, English Language Learners, Gifted Learners, students from other cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds, etc.)
Development of district and/or schoolwide practices and policies that support student engagement, growth and development
Decrease in office referrals, suspensions, and expulsions
*Darling-Hammond, et. al, (2020)
CREATING HEALTHY SCHOOLS
Facilitated Planning, Assessment, and Implementation
Generation Schools Network (GSN) works alongside districts to promote healthy behaviors in schools. Using the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model, our coaches involve all stakeholders in improving student health & wellness. Together with school staff, students, and community members, we examine how each of the factors below impacts student wellbeing:
Physical activity
Nutrition
Student and staff wellness
Health education & services
Social-emotional climate
Student behavioral health needs
Family engagement
After a comprehensive planning process, our task force identifies wins, opportunities, goals, and action items. Then, we create and implement a customized plan for student and staff wellness. Interventions might include an employee wellness program, stress management tools for students, etc. Funding for this program is often provided by the Colorado Health Foundation.
DROPOUT PREVENTION
Case Management & Wrap-Around Services
GSN supports student re-engagement by providing academic and behavioral support to families. This program improves educational experiences for students that experience high mobility, including children in out-of-home care, homeless/unaccompanied youth, and migrant students. Using personalized case management, GSN breaks down barriers for at-risk students by:
Standardizing a system for academic and behavioral supports
Providing social-emotional learning (SEL) in small groups
Acting as a liaison between schools, communities, and families
Creating personalized learning solutions for at-risk students
Funding for this program is often provided by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) through the Expelled and At-Risk Student Services (EARSS) Grant or the Education Stability Grant. Under these grants, GSN assists schools with the hiring, training, and ongoing support of an Advocate. Once hired, the Advocates support the specific populations of at-risk students that are named in the grant. Learn more and view results.
“After implementing Advocacy at our school for just one semester, we have already had two new families come to Westgate because of finding out about the Advocacy program and the associated Bullying Prevention Initiative we are doing!”
– Amanda Novak, Dean of School Culture, Westgate Community School
BULLYING PREVENTION
Evidence-Based Practices for Community Building
GSN supports schools in addressing bullying holistically. Primarily, we collaborate with communities to improve social-emotional learning competencies such as communication, self-management, relationship skills, and social awareness. We use the following research-based practices:
Teaching conflict resolution using curricula such as “Kids Working It Out”
Integrating Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS)
Engaging the community in understanding how to help children with bullying
Planning Kindness Counts weeks to create constructive relationships between peers and adults
To make changes to school culture at the adult, student, and community levels, we follow a three-step process. First, we assess your school and district to determine the best evidence-based program for your needs. Then, we train school employees in SEL, bullying prevention, family engagement, and community referrals. Finally, we monitor implementation and provide ongoing feedback. Learn more and view results.
FIT & FLOW REMOTE RECESS
Virtual Fitness Program for Students
GSN is proud to partner with Interactive Media Design to provide Fit and Flow. This virtual fitness program empowers 6-12th grade students to take control of their fitness. Regardless of location, age, background, or income, this 6-week program is FREE to any school that requests it.
Fit and Flow can be used in PE classes, as a brain break activity, or as a virtual exercise with families at home. Professional instructors offer Livestream classes in everything from Dance and Barre to HIIT.
Program management, including virtual services support, weekly progress reporting, contract development, etc., is included at every step of the way. For more information, please contact CJ Roberts at croberts@generationschools.org.
RIM INSTITUTE & PROJECT HEAL
Project Heal: Releasing Your Inner Magician (RIM) Program
The Releasing Your Inner Magician (RIM®) method is a cost-effective and rapid way to expand social/emotional support both for students and staff. RIM is a nonclinical, body-centered, verbal technique to collaborate with and extend our inherent resilience. The program will provide training in 15 evidence-based skills that create emotional safety in a student-generated process.
This year-long program includes:
Week-long training (15 skills)
Monthly coaching sessions – Workbooks and materials
12 weeks of individual coaching for implementation
1 personal RIM session
CEU’s
Mini workshops with tips about how to respond to students’ emotions in a healing way (during an all-staff PD day)
For more information, please contact Ellen Sarkisian at esarkisian@generationschools.org