JCSH Strategic Directions 2020-2025

In 2005, Canada’s provincial and territorial ministers responsible for health and education pioneered a new approach to improving the health and learning for school-aged children and youth: the Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health (JCSH). They recognized that, statistically, young people were at risk for a range of physical, psychological, and behavioural problems – and that these kinds of issues have major implications not only for learning, but also for long-term health and health care costs.

Today, the JCSH comprises the ministries of education and ministries responsible for health/wellness in 12 of the 13 provinces and territories1. The federal government also supports the work of the Consortium, with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) serving in a funding and advisory capacity.

The Proposed Strategic Directions document for 2020-2025 focuses on the emerging key priority areas that the Consortium will address during its 5-year mandate.

Health Promoting Schools – also known as comprehensive school health – is an internationally recognized approach to supporting improvements in students’ educational outcomes while addressing school health in a planned, integrated and holistic way.

This whole-school model builds capacity to incorporate well-being as an essential aspect of student achievement. Actions address four distinct but inter-related components that comprise a health promoting schools approach:

• social and physical environment
• teaching and learning
• policy
• partnerships and services.

When actions in all four components are harmonized, students are supported to realize their full potential as learners – and as healthy, productive members of society.