On Sept. 26, Coachella Valley High School (CVHS) announced it was named one of America’s Healthiest Schools by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for the 2022-23 academic year. This recognition is shared with less than .05% of schools across the U.S.
Coachella Valley High School (CVHS) proudly announces its distinction as one of America’s Healthiest Schools, an honor shared with less than .05% of schools across the U.S., for the 2022-2023 academic year. This coveted recognition, presented by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (Healthier Generation), celebrates the commitment of schools like CVHS to nurture the health and well-being of their students, faculty, and communities.
According to a press release, Alliance for a Healthier Generation (Healthier Generation), one of the nation’s preeminent children’s health organizations, 781 schools across 36 states achieved the Healthiest Schools status this year, the highest number since the program’s inception. The annual recognition honors schools for advancing the physical, mental and social-emotional health of students, staff and families.
With support from Harmony SEL at National University, Kaiser Permanente and Kohl’s, schools are recognized for implementing best practices in up to nine topic areas, according to the release. This is based on criteria in Healthier Generation’s Thriving Schools Integrated Assessment.
Healthier Generation's recognition program celebrates schools' exceptional contributions to advancing whole child health equity, despite challenges such as pandemic-related learning loss, high rates of vaping and nicotine addiction, and a youth mental health crisis. By receiving this recognition, schools reaffirm their crucial role as agents of impact and change within their communities, the release stated.
The America's Healthiest Schools recognition program was established by Healthier Generation to promote health equity by endorsing policies and practices that address systemic inequities, particularly for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and youth from under-resourced communities, according to the release. Over 75% of this year's recognized schools are Title I schools, with more than half serving a majority of BIPOC students.
“Today, we invite the nation to join us in thanking America’s Healthiest Schools for their commitment to prioritizing the health of their students, staff, communities and families,” said Kathy Higgins, chief executive officer at Healthier Generation, in the release. “In these challenging times, these awardees are a testament to the critical role schools play in establishing whole health as foundational and essential to learning environments -- so that all children may thrive.”
In the release it states, Healthier Generation will convene school representatives in Washington, D.C., on October 13 and 14 for the America's Healthiest Schools Leaders Summit. During this event, they will honor the awardees and recognize Kohl's as this year's Corporate Hero for prioritizing the holistic health needs of staff and students. The summit will bring together more than 450 educators, administrators and health experts to share best practices, network and recognize the achievements of the distinguished schools.
According to the release, America's Healthiest Schools is one of the country's longest-running nationwide recognition programs, acknowledging schools for their efforts in supporting the overall health needs of students and school staff. To view the full list of 2023 America's Healthiest Schools, visit HealthierGeneration.org/HealthiestSchools.