Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC)
A Collaborative Approach to Learning and Health
The education, public health, and school health sectors have each called for greater alignment, including integration and collaboration between education leaders and health sectors to improve each child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development. Public health and education serve the same children, often in the same settings. The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model focuses on the child aligning the common goals of both sectors to implement a whole-child approach to education.
The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child, or WSCC model is CDC’s framework for addressing school health. The WSCC model is student-centered and emphasizes the role of the community in supporting the school, the connections between health and academic achievement, and the importance of evidence-based school policies and practices. The WSCC model has ten components:
1. Health education.
2. Nutrition environment and services.
3. Employee wellness.
4. Social and emotional climate.
5. Physical environment.
6. Health services.
7. Counseling, psychological and social services.
8. Community involvement.
9. Family engagement.
10. Physical education.
- Garrett County Public Schools (GCPS) believes student wellness is essential for students to achieve their academic and physical potential.
- GCPS is committed to providing the services and programs needed to promote positive school cultures and advance students' academic, social, psychological, physical, and emotional well-being.
- GCPS is committed to meeting the needs of the students using the components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) WSCC components.
Below is information and the GCPS procedures that support each component of the WSCC Model. Follow the link to view all procedures, GCPS Policies and Procedures.
Health Education
Nutrition Environment and Services
Employee Wellness
Social-Emotional Climate
Physical Environment
Counseling, Psychology, and Social Services
Community Involvement
Family Engagement
Physical Education and Physical Activities
Emergency Operating Procedure During Covid-19 Pandemic
During this unprecedented pandemic, emergency operating procedures (EOP) are in place to meet the goals for student wellness while maintaining local, state, and federal mandates and guidance for slowing and stopping the spread of COVID-19. Modifications to the implantation of the WSCC components include and are not limited to the following.
Health Education
- Including mitigation strategies for COVID-19 as part of class discussion and staying healthy
- Including COVID-19 as one of the diseases in the infectious disease unit
- Teach and reinforce hand washing and respiratory etiquette
Nutrition
- Cafeteria protocol will return to the pre-pandemic status
- The use of water fountains is permitted, and the use of reusable water bottles by students is encouraged
Employee Wellness
- Modification of wellness activities to meet current COVID-19 and mitigation strategies
- COVID-19 vaccination clinics for staff and students
- Follow the guidance for the isolation of COVID-19-positive or symptomatic persons
Social-Emotional Climate
- Provide social-emotional support instruction specifically to support the personal choice of wearing a mask when masks are not mandated or must be worn due to returning after a ten-day quarantine
Physical Environment
- Improvement of air quality in each facility
- Increased cleaning and use of appropriate disinfectants
- Compliance with recommended social distancing requirements
- Use of face coverings when required
- Use of signs on the doors of schools, facilities, and sporting venues outlining mitigation strategies when needed
- Provide hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes throughout buildings
Health Services
- Each school will have a registered nurse assigned
- Use of nursing and health protocols for COVID-19
- Provide isolation room for ill students and staff
- Use of screeners when needed
- Use of well-student carts for treatment of non-COVID needs
- Provide screening and diagnostic testing of staff and students with parental consent
- Provide at-home tests for staff and students
Counseling, Psychology, and Social Services
- Increased focus on mental health and the social and emotional needs of students as they return to in-person learning
- Teach and model strategies to deal with stress and anxiety
- Provide mask tolerance education to support individual choices to wear a mask or wear a mask post-illness
Community Involvement
- Increased collaboration with other stakeholders to establish consistent strategies for mitigation of COVID-19 and changes to protocols
- Monitor community Covid-19 metrics to provide appropriate health and safety strategies
- Continuing collaboration with appropriate health officials of students/staff that are COVID-19 positive
Family Engagement
- Increased communication as to protocols and changes as they occur
- Provide and promote COVID-19 vaccinations for eligible students
- Encourage students and staff to stay home when sick and get tested
- Provide testing information for staff, students, and parents /guardians
Physical Education and Physical Activities
- Provide activities that use the recommended social distancing to the extent possible
- Ensure appropriate sanitation of equipment used during physical education classes and other physical activities
Maryland State School Health Council
Mission
To promote health for the whole child through health-promoting programs and policies by providing leadership and support to local school health councils and state and local agencies.
Garrett County School Health Council (GCSHC)
Mission
To support Coordinated School Health (CSH) as a systematic approach to improving the health and well-being of all students so they can fully participate and be successful in school. CSH integrates health promotion efforts using the Whole Child Model.
GCSHC:
- Serves as an advisory group for a Comprehensive School Health Program;
- Is supported by the Garrett County Health Department and the Garrett County Public Schools;
- Offers suggestions to Garrett County Public Schools to support a Coordinated School Health (CSH) approach to students’ success;
- Meets quarterly GCSHC Page is under construction and will be added;
- Is supported by the Maryland School Health Council (Regulation 13A.05.05.13 (1989) and requires the creation of the Maryland State School Health Council to assist with establishing local school health councils.) Maryland State School Health Council
Resources:
CDC Healthy School