Promoting Health of Children & Youth in School

Parents of school-aged children can contact their local health unit for information about their child's health.

On this page, you will find information to protect and promote the health and safety of school-aged children.

Healthy habits lead to good dental health. 

Find a Dental Health service near you

Head lice can affect anyone. Head lice are annoying and may cause itching, but they do not transmit or cause disease. Children and adults’ reactions to head lice can subject children to teasing, bullying and isolation. Reactions to head lice can significantly interfere with a child’s emotional well-being, social status in the classroom and ability to learn. For these reasons, head lice infestations should be treated.

Health promotion is the process of helping people to make healthy lifestyle choices and motivating them to become better managers of their own health. School-based or school-linked health promotion, called Comprehensive School Health, is increasingly recognized as an effective way to coordinate efforts that promote health and prevent disease or other problems.

A Comprehensive School Health approach encourages people to think broadly across all sectors that make up their school or school district, and to develop a coordinated, whole school approach to planning, decision-making and program delivery.

In some cases a school setting helps to establish healthier outcomes for its attending students. This includes elements such as the social and physical environments, school policies, support services, and the education/curriculum.

Early detection of hearing loss, followed by early and comprehensive intervention, makes a significant difference to the quality of life for the individual, their family and the community. Visit the Hearing Health section of our Children & Youth page to learn more.

As children get older, the protection from childhood vaccines can wear off. Children are also at risk of new disease as they enter their pre-teen years. That’s why they need vaccinations too.

Learn more

Schools can work with students, parents, and other community partners to develop and implement written policies regarding unintentional injury, violence and suicide prevention.

Students spend more time in school than in almost any other environment. Having access to nutritious food at school and the opportunity to engage in positive food experiences helps students develop positive eating attitudes, behaviours, and skills that support lifelong well-being. 

Visit our Nutrition & Food Security page for more information.

Children and youth are encouraged to live an active lifestyle with a daily balance of sleep, sedentary behaviours, and physical activities. Regular physical activity keeps the body strong and healthy and can improve mental health, school performance, sleep, and energy levels. Children and youth should aim for a total of 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity. The key is to find an activity you enjoy, and gradually build up your activity levels until you meet the recommendations. The most important point to remember is any amount of physical activity is beneficial.

For more information on physical activity for children and youth see these resources:

• The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines
• The ability toolkit: A resource for parents of children and youth with a disability
• Build your best day: Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines for children and youth– ParticipACTION

View trusted sources of information for teachers, parents and children on puberty, sexual reproduction, understanding your body and more:

•     Your Body (The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada)
•     AboutKidsHealth (The Hospital for Sick Children)
•     Teaching Sexual Health (Alberta Health Services)
•     Developmental Stages in Sexual Health Teaching for Teachers and Parents
•     Menstrual Hygiene Products and Schools
•     Resources for Teachers and PHNs

Like all indoor environments, schools can have high levels of radon. Since radon is an invisible, odourless, radioactive gas, it can go undetected– unless the air is tested for radon. Radon is released from the natural breakdown of uranium found in soils and rocks, which is common within our region. Although radon is natural, it can build up inside buildings and become harmful to the health of students and staff.

Health Canada indicates that long-term exposure to radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers. Because of the amount of time that children spend at school, radon should be tested for and actions taken to reduce the amount of radon exposure.

BCCDC Radon Testing Protocol for Schools

Radon Testing Information Letter for school staff, parents and students

Radon exposure is particularly concerning for young children with developing lungs and a high breathing rate. The only way to determine indoor levels of radon is to test. Testing is easy and per Health Canada guidance should be conducted during the cold season for a period of 91 days.

For these reasons, our Medical Health Officers ask that all schools be tested for radon. To protect the health of students and staff, schools and school districts should include radon testing in their routine indoor air quality maintenance programs and educate students about the risks associated with high levels of radon.

School-age children may have trouble learning and developing socially if they don't get enough sleep.  The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth (ages 5-17 years) recommends:

• Children aged five to 13 should get nine to 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night with consistent sleep and wake-up times
• Youth aged 14-17 should get 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night with consistent sleep and wake-up times

Resources

• Back to School Sleep Routines 
• Sleeping well: BC Children’s Hospital and Kelty Mental Health: links to sites on sleep schedules, bedtime routines, tackling sleep difficulties and more.
• HealthLink BC Sleep: Helping Your Children—and Yourself—Sleep Well | HealthLink BC
• Sleep Problems, Age 12 and Older | HealthLink BC
• Nightmares and Other Sleep Problems in Children | HealthLink BC
• Sleep and Learning | HealthLink BC
• The Foundry BC website
• Live5210 - Resources
• Sleep Teaching Toolkit
   

devices can be concealed, and the addictive drugs like nicotine that they can contain. Cannabis use can also have detrimental impacts on youth brain development and mental health outcomes. 

Legislation is a key tool in reducing tobacco, cannabis and vapour product use and protecting youth from accessing tobacco, cannabis and vapour products. All public and private kindergarten to Grade 12 schools in B.C. are tobacco, cannabis and vape-free under the Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act and Regulation, and the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act. This ban extends to all school property 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of whether or not school is in session. The ban also includes vehicles, parking lots, sports fields, driveways, courtyards and private vehicles parked on school property. 

Visit our Tobacco & Vaping page, or our Cannabis page for more information.

Since a child’s eyes are constantly in use in the classroom and at play, undiagnosed vision concerns can seriously affect a child’s abilities, success, and confidence at school.

Because vision changes can occur quickly during childhood and may not have any signs, children should be examined regularly throughout the school years. The earlier vision problems are identified the more successfully they can be treated.

Parents of school-aged children can contact their local health unit for information about their child's health including:

• Free immunizations for school-aged children who:

  • Missed any preschool vaccines
  • Have a chronic medical condition
  • Are aged 4-6, and grade 6 and 9

• Health information on:

  • Back to school resources | HealthLinkBC
  • Common childhood diseases
  • Too Sick for School
  • Medical conditions
  • Growth and development
  • Talking to children about bullying/cyberbullying
  • Talking to children about puberty, sexuality, mental health, substance use
  • Public Health Overdose Emergency

For more information, view our list of community resources or contact HealthLink BC, 24-hours a day, by dialing 8-1-1.