National Healthy Schools Day is April 11

March 10, 2011 – National Healthy Schools Day is observed on the first day of School Building Week. Healthy Schools Day provides an opportunity for parents, school personnel, advocates, and agencies to engage in activities that highlight healthy and green indoor school environments for all children and school staff.

Healthy Schools Day is coordinated by the Healthy Schools Network in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Council of Educational Facility Planners – International. It promotes the use of EPA’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools program.

The EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit provides guidance for schools that wish to improve their indoor environments. Schools that are successfully implementing IAQ programs share common themes that have driven their program success such as:

Organizing: Bring together individuals with a commitment to ensuring good IAQ in the school district and with clear support from senior management;
Assessing: Determine the scope and details of existing IAQ conditions and issues facing the school district;
Creating a plan: Develop strategic goals and objectives for an IAQ program and determine an approach to identify, resolve, and prevent future IAQ problems;
Taking action: Use of findings of the assessment conducted and the strategies in the plan to resolve or prevent IAQ problems;
Evaluating: Track IAQ programs’ progress and assess results.

To learn more about ways to celebrate Healthy Schools Day, visit the Healthy Schools Network, Inc website, which includes ways to plan activities as well as resources that can be used to show support for the Day.

Source: Healthy Schools Network, Inc. website and EPA website.