New Mexico's Yucca Model of Coordinated School Health

The Eight Components of Coordinated School Health
Click an icon below to learn more about each component.

Nutrition	The nutrition component supports the availability of healthy food which is the primary building block for each child's physical growth, brain development, and ability to resist disease. Food also affects a child's emotions, sense of well-being and ability to learn.
Health Education & Life Skills	Health Education and Life Skills, taught by a licensed health education specialist, is the school's instructional program that provides the opportunity for all students to understand and practice concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention.
Physical Education & Activity	Physical Education, taught by a licensed physical education specialist, is the school's instructional program that provides the optimal opportunity for all students to learn and develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to personally decide to participate in a lifetime of healthful physical activity.
Staff Wellness	Staff Wellness promotes the health, safety, and well-being of school staff; provides the necessary support that maximizes the talents of all individuals; and creates an equitable, accessible, and productive work environment.
Family, School & Community Partnership	Family, School, and Community Partnership promotes long-term effective partnerships between families, schools, and communities in the planning and implementation of health promotion projects and events both within the school and throughout the community.
Healthy & Safe Environment	The Healthy and Safe Environment supports a total learning experience that promotes personal growth, healthy interpersonal relationships, wellness, and freedom from discrimination and abuse within a healthy physical environment.
Social & Emotional Well-Being	The Social and Emotional Well-Being supports a healthy school through programs and services that value the social and emotional well-being of students, families and staff.
Health Services	The Health Services, staffed by qualified professional health care providers, provides a broad scope of services which address the physical and mental health needs of students and staff.

Interested in becoming a member of the Healthier Schools Coalition (or even just getting on our mailing list)? Click here to go to the online HSC membership form.

Click here to visit the Healthier Schools Announcement Page. And please e-mail the HSC webmaster with your school health event announcements, resources, and website link suggestions. We can help you get the word out!

For Information on School Health, Contact: New Mexico State Department of Education School Health Unit 120 S. Federal Place, Room 206 Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505) 827-1804 or email the New Mexico Healthier Schools Coaltion: Click Here New Mexico 2002 School Health Education Profile In the Spring of 2002, the School Health Education Profile (SHEP) questionnaire was sent to the principal and his/her designated lead health education teacher in every New Mexico public school which had a 6th grade or higher. Click below to learn more about health education in New Mexico's schools, including: Delivery and content of health education; Policies and teaching for specific behaviors/diseases: Physical Activity Tobacco Nutrition Violence Asthma Management Activities and HIV Prevention Education and Policies Collaboration, professional preparation, and staff development. Click here to read the 2002 New Mexico SHEP Final Report in Adobe Acrobat PDF (770kb) format. To read PDF files: click here to download the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. It's fast and free! New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey 2001 The 2001 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (YRRS) is a risk and resiliency surveillance instrument that was developed in New Mexico by the New Mexico State Department of Education, the Department of Health, school district personnel and other youth advocates from across the state. The YRRS assesses the resiliency factors and health and risk behaviors of youth. The survey, administered every other year to students in New Mexico public schools provides data to monitor trends in student health and risk behaviors. The YRRS asks students about resiliency factors that have a positive impact on their health. These include: Caring relationships and support Boundaries and expectations Meaningful participation and constructive use of time Social competencies and life skills Commitment to learning Positive identity The YRRS also asks students about behaviors that could impact their quality of life and/or contribute to premature death. These include: Intentional and unintentional injuries Tobacco use Alcohol and other drug use Sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection and/or unintended pregnancy Dietary behaviors Physical activity The 2001 YRRS can be used by state agencies, school districts, county health councils, and community partners to determine, develop, and sustain programs that best meet the needs of the youth in their communities. YRRS data can also be used for several indicators of the New Mexico Department of Health's Vision of Health and many of the Healthy People 2010 objectives. Click here to read or download a copy of the 2001 YRRS report in Adobe PDF format (1095kb); Click here to read or download a copy of the 2001 YRRS survey in Spanish in Adobe PDF format (813kb). Click here to read or download a copy of the 2001 YRRS survey in English in Adobe PDF format (941kb). Additionally, linkages to the 2000 Middle School Youth Risk and Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the 1999 YRBS can be accessed by clicking on the links below: Click here to read or download a copy of the 2000 YRBS report in Adobe PDF format (585kb); Click here to read or download a copy of the 2000 YRBS survey in Adobe PDF format (587kb); Click here to read or download a copy of the 1999 YRBS report in Adobe PDF format (585kb). Click here to read or download a copy of the 1999 YRBS survey in Adobe PDF format (296kb). To read PDF files: click here to download the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. It's fast and free! NEW!! The New Mexico School Health Manual is online! Click here to check it out! New Mexico Information for Health Improvement New! An invaluable resource for grantseekers, planners, school health staff, and the whole community, - check out DOH's new county-by-county health indicator database. And now the Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Network is also online with both national and state specific data. NM School Surveys Interagency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) In order to support the implementation and administration of a single youth survey in New Mexico Public Schools for the purpose of gathering data on youth risk and resiliency factors the New Mexico Department of Health and the State Department of Education have entered into an agreement concerning school surveys. To view this agreement in PDF format, click this link: School Surveys MOU To read PDF files: click here to download the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. It's fast and free! New Website! Visit the Early Intervention and Assessment Training Site, a collaborative effort of the State Departments of Education and Health. Click here for the New Mexico Teen Pregnancy Coalition's report on New Mexico's Attitudes on Sex Education (in .pdf format). Invest in Us...We're Worth It! A Positive Youth Development Guide On August 3-4, 2000, 54 young people and 54 adults from across the state came together to develop a platform that would move New Mexico and its communities toward promoting positive youth development. The course of action called for by participants has been published in a 24-page guide called, "Invest in Us?We?re Worth It!" This guide, published by New Mexico Youth Action Network includes more than 50 recommendations for policy and action for youth, adults, families, schools, communities and elected officials. You can read or download this free report right here online! Here's how: You need to have a current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the guide. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. It's fast and free! Once Acrobat is installed on your computer, just click below on the topics that interest you. The file will open up automatically using your Adobe Acrobat Reader. To save a file on your personal computer, click on the "Save File" icon on the Acrobat command menu bar. For the complete Forum report in a single download, click here: Invest in Us...We're Worth It! (666kb) For specific parts of the Forum report, click any of the topics below: Youth Policy and Planning Strategic Forum Executive Summary (22kb) Allow a Voice for Young People (98kb) Help Youth Develop Things to Do and Places to Go (122kb) Work with and in the Schools (23kb) Get Parents and Families Involved (311kb) Get Community People and Community Organizations Involved (102kb) Get Employers and Businesses Involved (130kb) Get Elected and Appointed Officials On Board (291kb)

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