Our Approach
We believe AtlantiCare can provide support and guidance to make school health a priority.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),1 in 3 children are overweight or obese, and it is projected that 1 in 3 children born after the year 2000 will have diabetes by 2050. AtlantiCare’s Healthy Schools, Healthy Children program is actively combating these startling statistics and more through education, activities and policy efforts
Healthy Schools, Healthy Children is part of a statewide initiative to incorporate health into all aspects of the school community. We support the initiative by partnering with schools to encourage students, staff and their families to live healthier lifestyles. More than 128 schools, in and around Atlantic, Cape May and southern Ocean counties, currently participate in this vital program.
Healthy Schools, Healthy Children is one of three regional managing agencies for the New Jersey Department of Health’s adolescent school health program funded through the Maternal and Child Health Services Title V Block Grant. The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model is the driving force behind the approach to school health in New Jersey.
The WSCC model emphasizes that each child, in each school, in each of our communities deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged. For more information on school health in New Jersey visit schoolhealthnj.org.
AtlantiCare supports its partner schools by providing the resources and tools necessary to establish and sustain healthier school environments. Whether it is fitness plans, nutrition lessons, healthy food taste tests, school gardens, or connecting schools to other departments within the organization, AtlantiCare is committed to finding innovative ways to assist schools in reaching their individual wellness goals.
An AtlantiCare Healthy Schools, Healthy Children partner school commits to making wellness a priority within their school community. AtlantiCare provides the tools and each school develops their own strategy for making positive changes, based on each school community’s individual needs and resources.