(Photo by: Palm Beach County PTA)
The goal of PTA’s
Health, Welfare, and Safety(HWS) programming is to be a resource for
PTA leaders in partnering with schools
to create safe environments that encourage healthy, safe choices and social and emotional support for
all students. National PTA's HWS programs include:
education and tools
to empower families to partner with schools and advocate for
healthy changes
around nutrition and physical activity. It also strives to create an
environment at home
that supports the positive changes happening at school.
and LYSOL have
partnered to educate students and families about health and
hygiene both in the
classroom and at home.
series is designed to
help create a safer environment for children with severe
allergies.
Parents
for Healthy Kids--Action
for Healthy Kids (AFHK) and National PTA have teamed up to support parents in
creating healthier schools through a new initiative, Parents for Healthy Kids.
Parents for Healthy Kids features a website,
online community forum, trainings and grants to educate, engage and empower
parents nationwide to improve school and student health.
including online, via
text and on social networks. This program encourages PTAs
to engage student
leaders to lead conversations about how bullying is affecting their
communities and to
develop collaborative solutions.
Digital Safety & Citizenship-Technology is woven
into every aspect of life- from learning and socializing, to gaming and
shopping, the possibilities are endless. Broad access and use of technology
opens up many opportunities for students- but it can also be difficult to
navigate these online environments. This is why National PTA partnered with
LifeLock to help parents start a dialogue about staying safe and positive
online.
National PTA Has a
section on Health which includes Hunger, Safe Drinking Water,
Obesity Prevention, Chronic Conditions, Substance Abuse and Emotional Health.
Also, you can find detailed Information on Safety which includes Digital Safety, Injury and Prevention and
Sports Safety, School Safety, and Teen Driver Safety.
Check out the Health
, Welfare and Safety tab in the Ohio PTA website at ohiopta.org. The tab can be
found under "Programs". The Health, Welfare and Safety Handbook
can be found under "PTA Resources".
What can you do to
promote HWS programming at your PTA:
- Volunteer as
your unit/council's HWS chair or serve on the HWS committee.
- Invite a speaker
to a PTA meeting to address a HWS topic.
- Join the Ohio
PTA HWS committee by emailing HWS@ohiopta.org
Barbara Varley
Director of Health,
Welfare and Safety
