Working with Schools and Early Years settings

Amanda Stirrat Health Promotion Officer

City of Greater Geelong

Outline

How to engage settings

Key learning's

Doing things differently

Strategies that work

Recommendations

Engaging schools and services Introductory letter to Principals or Directors Follow up email and offer to meet with them Find out what networks and cluster groups exist

in your area – DEECD Request to give a 10min presentation at next

network or cluster meeting Find out what PD’s have been scheduled for early

years and school staff- value add to these Offer to attend a staff meeting Offer to attend a committee or school council

meeting Find a champion within school or EY setting to

get foot in the door

Made contact – Where to next?

Try to make face to face contact

Visit schools and settings individually

Attend cluster meetings

Get a gig on the Principals monthly network meeting

Depending on timing try to slot into a professional development workshop

First Meeting

Briefly walk through the program and the rationale behind it

Discuss current health issues and initiatives being undertaken

List barriers and enablers in them being able to support health initiatives

Establish settings needs and priorities

Look at how the program can help enable and support what they are already trying to do

What next?

Encourage setting to establish a working group that consists of representatives from the setting- staff and parents

Begin at the number 1 priority for that setting

Develop an action plan for that priority

Implement action plan

Evaluate action Plan-Reflect – Repeat for other priorities that relate to program

Support needs to be given by health professional for this to happen

How do you support?

Supplying templates for action plan

Case studies- from other settings having been through the process

Regular email contact to find out progress and if help is needed

Evaluation template

Organising opportunities for settings to meet and work together

Celebrating achievements – media exposure

Resources to support priority area – display material

Ongoing support

Work on schools terms and provide a resource pack to settings focusing on a particular priority/criteria

Offer to promote healthy events and offer suggestions on how to make event healthier

Provide incentives for settings to keep motivated to work through criteria- Move Play and Go days

Highlight a setting each month in monthly email

Link settings to others that are working on same priority or have same issues

Provide at least 2 workshops per year

Key learnings

Schools and setting are busy places – have to make things simple and part of their already heavy workload

Settings can play a key role in promoting Children’s Health and Wellbeing but some staff and parents feel it is the parents responsibility

Will be opposition to saying the word ‘PROGRAM’ schools in particular are already swamped with organisations offering programs to them

If Principal or Director it’s not on board not worth the effort pursuing it

Doing things differently

Work more with cluster groups – time intensive individually

Establish a working group in setting from the start – include parents and students if possible on this

Needs Assessment critical

Strategies that work

Assisting with any paper work required

Templates for easy use

Incentives

Offer to set up Healthy eating and or Physical activity station at settings fundraising events

Consistent but not persistent contact

Recommendations

Don’t talk program but framework

Build on what setting have already got in place

Start on an easily achievable criteria to get momentum going

Listen to the needs of the settings

Don’t push, be patient

Be flexible in approach used to engage settings

Provide resources not just hard copy but people resources if possible

Amanda Stirrat

Health Promotion Officer

City of Greater Geelong

astirrat@geelongcity.vic.gov.au

5272 4059