Since 2013, organizations dedicated to health and wellness in school communities have been working in a collaborative and coordinated fashion to provide an environment and culture that integrates health and wellness equitably for students and staff through the Healthy Schools Successful Students initiative. In order to move into action, some of these organizations that provide services to schools and school professionals came together in 2016 to form The Professional Development (PD) Team.
From 2016 to 2020, the PD Team was committed to collaboration and sharing member organizations’ work in order to create better outcomes for students and staff. Over the years, the PD Team has carefully considered how they can work together, and how they can amplify work being done to support the health and wellness of school communities. The PD Team provided critical support and input to help shape the Healthy Schools Hub and to make features impactful and helpful to those in the field. Many professional development trainings and events were born out of relationships formed in the PD Team. Prior to 2020, these offerings took member organizations’ throughout the state of Colorado to deliver services and receive feedback directly from schools and the people who work in them. During the pandemic in 2020, PD Team member organizations collaborated to deliver virtual learning opportunities and exhibited flexibility and responsiveness amplifying their support to school communities. In collecting feedback from PD Team members, they have shared that the highlight of their participation in the PD Team was the relationships formed and the awareness built about different organizations working to bring health and wellness into schools. These relationships have and will continue to provide an opportunity for collaboration and amplification that will benefit Colorado schools now and in the future.
Colorado Education Initiative