School Health

2011-2012 APPLICATION

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Awards Program
The Directors of Health Promotion and Education (DHPE) have created an awards program to recognize schools and school districts which demonstrate commitment to the health of their employees by implementing school employee wellness programs. The awards program is based on the nine steps for establishing a school employee wellness program, outlined in School Employee Wellness: A Guide for Protecting the Assets of Our Nation’s Schools.

Nine Steps for Establishing a School Employee Wellness (SEW) Program

  1. Obtain administrative support
  2. Identify resources
  3. Identify a leader
  4. Organize a committee
  5. Gather and analyze data
  6. Develop a plan
  7. Implement the plan
  8. Evaluate and adapt the program
  9. Sustain the program

AWARD LEVELS
The program includes three different levels of awards:

BRONZE: Developed School Employee Wellness Program Plan
Criteria include:

  • Documented administrative support
  • Completed resource analysis
  • Identified SEW leader and/or committee
  • Completed needs assessment (includes gathering baseline health-related costs to school/school district, and identifying the interests of school employees)
  • Developed SEW plan (includes at minimum a mission statement, goals, measurable objectives, activities to meet objectives, and a budget)

SILVER: Implemented School Employee Wellness Program
Criteria include:

  • Met all Bronze criteria
  • Implemented SEW plan in two health areas identified by the needs assessment

GOLD: Evaluate and Adapt School Employee Wellness Program
Criteria include:

  • Met all of the Bronze and Silver criteria
  • Implemented SEW plan in two additional health areas identified by the needs assessment
  • Evaluated SEW program annually (includes process and outcome)
  • Sustained SEW program for at least two years

AWARD PROCESS
A review board has been established for each award level that includes three individuals, one of whom will be a person from a school with an existing school employee wellness program. Each review board member will read and score all applications received for that award level.  After all applications have been reviewed, an average score for each application will be computed based on the three reviews.

AWARD RECIPIENTS
Up to three applicants from each award level will receive special recognition for their efforts that includes grants (Bronze $250, Silver $500, Gold $1000) to be reinvested in their employee wellness programs; banners; a press release to local media outlets; a profile on DHPE's School Employee Wellness web site; and letters to their State’s Governor, Superintendent of Education, and Local Representatives from both DHPE and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Adolescent and School Health (CDC/DASH). In addition, all applicants who meet the criteria listed above for each level of award will receive recognition that includes a letter to their school superintendent and principal from both DHPE and CDC/DASH.

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION NOTE: APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.
To apply for the 2011-2012 School Employee Wellness Awards Program, please go to http://app.dhpe.org/SEWAwards and submit your online application by February 15, 2012

APPLICATION CHECKLIST - You will need to submit the following documents with your application.

Step 1: Obtain Administrative Support
Copy of a signed letter of support for the SEW program from the principal/superintendent.

Steps 3 & 4: Identify a Leader & Organize a Committee
Document containing the names and titles of school employee wellness committee members.
Copy of an agenda from a school employee wellness committee meeting.

Step 5: Gather and Analyze Data
Copy of the instrument utilized to gather information on employee health concerns and health promotion-related interests.

Step 6: Develop a Plan
Copy of the SEW plan.
Copy of the SEW budget.

Step 7: Implement the Plan [Required for Silver and Gold]
One promotional material for each health promotion area addressed.

Step 9: Sustain the Program [Required for Gold]
Sample of the materials used to help sustain the program and maintain administration support (5 pages max)

All applications and supporting materials must be submitted by February 15, 2012 to be considered. On January 4, 2012 at 3 PM EDST, DHPE will host a webinar and provide information about the School Employee Wellness Awards Program and this year’s application. More information on the webinar will be forthcoming.