Personal health benefit for educators.  At a time when teachers are stressed and many face burn out, when they are asked to do more and more with fewer resources due to educational budget cuts, this is a program for their personal benefit.  It’s just for them.  It is a way for their district and community to say, “We value you and care about you and recognize the great work that you do.”

Studies show that healthy educators with a positive sense of well-being increase the students’ ability to learn. Healthy educators are a critical component of a thriving school. A healthy workplace leads to educators who are more satisfied with their jobs, manage stress well, have higher morale, and are able to be higher performing – all of which support student learning as the #1 goal.

A healthy staff can reduce absenteeism caused by sick leave.  It is estimated that a student going from grade 1 through grade 12 will experience the equivalent of one year with a substitute teacher. This is costly to the district (healthcare cost, cost of substitute teachers and loss of state funding) and to the students.  Healthy educators are absent fewer days and more likely to stay in their positions. They provide the continuity and stability so essential for educational success.

Educators that are interested in their own health are more likely to promote and model healthy behaviors to students, who are then more likely to engage in health-promoting activities themselves.  Again, this fosters student learning.  A 6 Weeks audience of 200 educators, for example, could influence some 6,000 kids.