9.16: Community Involvement
Along with engaging families (below), connecting with community partners can be an invaluable resource for WSCC efforts. Community partnerships can include other non-profits, after school programs, sports and recreation clubs, businesses, and universities. For example - schools can connect families to health resources - including social service agencies and health clinics - within the community by hosting health fairs, providing coupons to health-related businesses, or utilizing restaurants with healthy menus for fundraising opportunities. Universities often have educator-training programs, public health, nutrition, or kinesiology departments with students and faculty looking for internship and research opportunities. Taking advantage of these partnerships allows for students and communities to mutually benefit while reducing costs to the school district (Michael et al., 2023). Connecting to community resources can also increase civic engagement and social cohesion - two important social determinants of health (CDC Healthy Schools, 2021).