WATCH week : Part 3- Do you have what it takes?

Share your WATCH week activities to @FBISD_SHAC and @wellgeeks!

It’s WATCH week in FBISD schools! As a special treat, I am bringing you a five part series this week on how to make sure your health and wellness programs are right for your school! Each day we will briefly explore a different question you should consider when creating your wellness plan. As you finish this year and look ahead to the next- consider how to maximize the return on your investment of time and resoureces. Enjoy the week and don’t forget to share your successes with us at @wellgeeks!

Part 3: Resource planning

Need ideas on school wellness grants?  Consider subscribing  to the Friday Beat, a newletter put out by the Texas School  Health Advisory Board each Friday.  Also look outside the  box, many community and service organizations have  funding on a national level for all sorts of programs.  Be sure to ask your health professional like physicians, dentists,  nurses to see if they belong to a national or state  organizations that has unrestricted grants.  (And be sure to invite them to your school wellness team!)

Does the program require an investment of time, resources, space, training, or money (or time writing for a grant?) Do you have what you need right now?

You have a great idea, but you need money? Time? Space to make it happen? Make sure you have enough resources and staff to complete the project. Need help? Reach out to your wellness team, parents, the district, your SHAC – that is why they are there!

WATCH schools often have issues in this area. Usually the issue falls into two areas: Grants and Engagement.

Writing grants can be difficult and time-consuming. There are a number of issues that can arise when working within a school district. If you are looking for grants, take a minute to discuss with your school administration on how the process works, especially for any building or construction related projects. If the grant requires a write-up at the end, make sure you are aware of what you can and can not share with outside entities. In our experience, most grants are easy to get, but very hard to implement if there is not a champion on campus to make sure the funds are available and used appropriately.