The Complicated Task of Managing School Health Programs

There is growing awareness of the important link between health and education in our society. Children need to be healthy to learn, and they must learn to be healthy. The 8-component coordinated school health program, developed in the early 1980s, rests on the premise that everybody in a child’s environment can contribute something, although no one can address a child’s health problems effectively by working alone ( Tyson, 1999 ). There is, however, one essential component missing from the coordinated plan: program management. Many of the components of a comprehensive school health program exist in some aspects in our schools. What is lacking is the coordination of these services. School nurses possess the experience, skills, and knowledge necessary to provide the missing link of a comprehensive school health program and must become leaders in this essential effort to care for children and their families.