Resources &
Tools

With more than four decades of experience in the healthy schools space, we’ve learned a lot and want to pass on that knowledge to you. Staff-vetted resources can be found below. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, please contact us.

Health Skills

Learn how to support students and encourage them to maintain healthy behaviors, change unhealthy behaviors, and delay the onset of risky behaviors.

Health skills classroom materials such as poster sets and student cue cards are available for purchase. The teaching guides are free and available for download by clicking “Learn More” below.

  • Analyze Influences Icon representing one of the eight National Health Education Standards and associated skill for skills-based health education.
    Analyze Influences
    Analyze Influences focuses on identifying and understanding the diverse internal and external factors that affect health practices and behaviors.
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  • Access Valid and Reliable Information Icon representing one of the eight National Health Education Standards and associated skill for skills-based health education.
    Access Valid & Reliable Resources
    Access Valid & Reliable Resources prepares students to be able to critically evaluate the health information around them, whether that is from research articles, advertisements, people, and other print materials.
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  • Interpersonal Communication Icon showing two people talking and representing one of the eight National Health Education Standards and associated skill for skills-based health education.
    Interpersonal Communication
    Interpersonal Communication guides students to better understand, practice, and reflect on their interactions with others, developing effective speaking and listening strategies, boundary setting/refusal skills, conflict resolution skills, and collaboration skills.
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  • Decision Making Icon showing one person with many arrows in front of them pointing different directions.The icon is representing one of the eight National Health Education Standards and associated skill for skills-based health education.
    Decision-Making
    Decision-Making provides students with a process to approach decisions related to their health that require more thought and intention.
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  • Goal-Setting
    Goal-Setting empowers students to strive for self-improvement by creating short and long term goals that have clear plans to help with follow through.
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  • Self-Management
    Self-Management helps students identify the areas in their life where they must take personal responsibility and develop the necessary health practices to maintain and improve their health.
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  • Advocacy for Self & Others
    Advocacy for Self & Others helps students build the capacity to promote their healthy behaviors and to encourage their peers to develop and maintain their own healthy behaviors.
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Infrastructure for District and School Health

A detailed step-by-step process specifically for Colorado schools to implement the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child approach to school health infrastructure.

  • School Level: Implementing A Collaborative Approach to Learning and Health
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  • District Level: Creating a Sustainable Culture of Learning and Health
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Implementation resources designed to help educators and other school stakeholders understand, adopt, and implement the Whole School. Whole Community, Whole Child model.

  • Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model: A Guide to Implementation (National Association for Chronic Disease Directors)
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  • Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model Spotlight Stories (National Association for Chronic Disease Directors)
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  • A Coordinated Approach to Learning and Health Presentation Guide (National Association for Chronic Disease Directors)
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  • Issue brief on Bullying prevention
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  • Issue Brief on Physical Activity
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  • Issue Brief on Substance Use
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  • Issue Brief On Suicide Prevention
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  • Issue Brief on School Climate
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  • Using the WSCC Model to Integrate Social Emotional Learning in Schools
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Success stories using the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model to successfully integrate health and wellness at the district and school-level.

Explore the 10 component areas of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child, including best practices for each component area and suggestions for alignment and integration between the component areas.

Substance Use Prevention

Data indicate that 33% of Colorado youth regularly use a tobacco product. Learn how to address this significant health issue.

  • Tobacco-Free Schools Policy Checklist Toolkit
    Tool for developing, strengthening, and implementing comprehensive policies.
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  • Policy Development and Implementation Schematic: How It Should Look
    Model for district-level comprehensive tobacco policy and translating that policy into school-level practice
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  • Sample Comprehensive Tobacco-Free Schools Policy
    Examples of policy language from Colorado school districts.
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  • Communication Tips
    Practical tips for communicating your tobacco-free schools policy, including sample language and methods to reach students, staff, parents and families, and visitors.
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  • Strategies for Enforcement
    Practical tips for enforcing your tobacco-free schools policy including alternatives to suspension, quit support, athletics, and cultural responsiveness.
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  • Essential Components of Effective Tobacco Prevention for Schools
    Five essential components for effective school tobacco use prevention, including examples for each component with staff development woven throughout
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  • Stanford Medicine Tobacco Prevention Toolkit
    Theory-based and evidence-informed resources created by educators, parents, and researchers aimed at preventing middle and high school students’ use of tobacco and nicotine.
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  • CATCH My Breath E-Cigarette Prevention Program
    An evidence-based e-cigarette, JUUL, and vape prevention program designed to increase youth knowledge of the dangers of vaping and increase positive perceptions about choosing a vape-free lifestyle.
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  • Second Chance Program
    Second Chance is an educational tool designed to address the health risks that tobacco and e-cigarettes pose to youth.
    Second Chance
  • American Lung Association N-O-T: Not On Tobacco – Teen Smoking Cessation Program
    N-O-T is taught by a trained and certified adult in ten, 50-minute sessions. It is most effective in a small group format (6-10 participants) that emphasizes teamwork. The easy-to-use method helps teens quit by addressing total health in order to develop and maintain positive behaviors.
    Link
  • Out of School Suspension: Consequences and Alternatives
    This paper describes the extent to which out-of-school suspensions are occurring, research on the effects of suspension, and alternatives to the use of suspension as a disciplinary practice
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  • STEPP Minor in Possession Brief
    Created by the Colorado State Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership, this brief describes why responding to vaping with Minor in Possession laws are ineffective for reducing youth tobacco/nicotine use, exacerbate disparities, and are duplicative of existing policies.
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  • Addressing Student Tobacco Use in Schools
    Created by the Public Health Law Center, this review addresses why punitive consequences for tobacco use in schools are ineffective, and presents model disciplinary procedures that support students instead.
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  • Colorado Tobacco-Free Schools Law
    The language of the law (CRS 25-14-103.5)
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  • Colorado Teen Tobacco Use Prevention Act
    The language of the law (CRS 25-14-301)
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