Schools for Healthy Lifestyles

A healthy lifestyle not only impacts our quality of life now, but every day of our future as well. Many of today’s leading health problems, including heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and injuries are due to poor lifestyle choices and are largely preventable.

Program Background

Schools for Healthy Lifestyles (SHL) was formed in 1997 in an effort to combat Oklahoma’s declining health status. The organization’s mission is to promote and maintain healthy lifestyles among students, families and educators. The SHL program has been nationally recognized and awarded for its outstanding efforts and listed as a best-practice model for Oklahoma.

Schools selected to enter the SHL program form a health advisory council to identify needs, establish goals and implement plans to improve the well being of their entire school community.

Four key areas are addressed through the program:

• Promoting physical activity and fitness
• Nutrition education and awareness
• Tobacco use prevention
• Safety and injury prevention

Benefits to Schools

• $1,000 grant award
• Public recognition, certificate and school flag
• Lifeline newsletters
• Link to community resources and presenters
• Educational ideas and materials
• Assessment materials and Fitnessgram kit
• Ongoing technical assistance and support
• Intense training at the Summer Health Institute
• Adopt-A-Doc partnership
• Health and physical education curricula

Program Supporters

SHL would like to thank the following sponsors. Without the generous help of these and many other donors and community partners, the program would not be possible.

Program Founders

• Oklahoma County Medical Society
• Oklahoma City-County Health Department
• Oklahoma State Department of Health
• Oklahoma City Public Schools

Major Sponsors

• E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation
• Oklahoma State Department of Education
• Oklahoma State Department of Health

Application/Additional Information

If your elementary school is interested in applying or obtaining additional information about the program, please visit the SHL website: http://www.healthyschoolsok.org

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