For over a decade, school communities across Ontario (and, with our national expansion occurring in 2022, across Canada!) have participated in Healthy Schools Certification. This year, we are excited to introduce the evolution of this program, and announce our new initiative, the Healthy Schools Recognition Program! Keep reading to learn more and be sure to register when Healthy Schools Recognition Program registration opens on Monday, September 15!
What is the Healthy Schools Recognition Program?
The Healthy Schools Recognition Program is a national, self-directed, step-based program that promotes strengthening health initiatives that can influence student belonging, school connectedness, and health and well-being. This program empowers schools with flexibility and ownership by providing tools, tips, and prompts that support the development of a unique, personalized Healthy Schools journey.
Why the Re-Development of Healthy Schools Certification?
A review of Healthy Schools Certification was conducted to:
- Evaluate the overall effectiveness of Healthy Schools Certification in supporting school communities in prioritizing student well-being
- Identify strengths and weaknesses of the program, including gaps, areas for improvement, and potential opportunities for expansion
- Provide evidence-based recommendations for enhancements
Results from this review have informed the evolution of the Healthy Schools Certification program to a recognition program that:
- Is a more inclusive and accessible program, with fewer barriers to participation (barriers such as time for an onerous reporting process, and timelines for completion and submission)
- Is flexible and adaptable to unique school communities across Canada
- Is self-directed, empowering schools with more ownership and flexibility over their Healthy Schools journey
- Centers students and student engagement and leadership
- Continues to be based on the 4-Step Healthy Schools Process, and uses the Comprehensive School Health framework as a guiding framework
- More schools can recognize themselves within, with the approach ultimately reaching and impacting more school communities across Canada
What’s New?
The Healthy Schools Recognition Program strives to:
- support schools in enhancing the health and well-being of their students and staff
- strengthen new and existing school-based initiatives supporting health, belonging, inclusion, and well-being
- encourage meaningful collaboration to promote a holistic, whole-community approach to the Healthy Schools journey
The Healthy Schools Recognition Program includes:
- No more points, certification levels, or audit
- No more deadlines or pre-determined timelines for completing the 4 Steps
- No more pre-determined “Health Topics”
- New ‘Sample Priority Areas’ to support schools with determining their health-related priority areas for their school
- New digital recognition badges that schools can collect when they start and complete a Healthy Schools journey
- New auto-generated customized Journey Summary Reports that schools receive after submitting their 4 Steps to help share the story of their Healthy Schools journey
- New Support Tools for each of the 4 steps
The Healthy Schools Recognition Program is a team-based process, and Ophea is a member of your school team! If you have questions at any point during the 4-Step Process, please get in touch with Ophea directly – we’d be happy to help!
How can my school get involved?
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Register your school in the Healthy Schools Recognition Program
Registration for the Healthy Schools Recognition Program opens Monday, September 15th! Find out more about what you need to register
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Let’s get social!
Wherever you are in your Healthy Schools journey, share on social media for the chance to be featured on Ophea’s channels. All registered schools that use the Healthy Schools Recognition Program hashtag, #HSRecognition, and tag @OpheaCanada on X, Facebook, Instagram, or Bluesky will be eligible to have their Healthy Schools experience shared directly on our feeds; we want to highlight how much great work is being done in Healthy Schools (please ensure that appropriate consent has been received from parents/caregivers prior to posting any student images online).
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Join in on the National Healthy Schools Week celebrations
Want to get your Healthy Schools Recognition Program planning started early in the year? Consider participating in the third annual National Healthy Schools Week, from October 6th-10th, 2025. National Healthy Schools Week is an annual event in October to prioritize, plan, and engage your school community in Healthy School conversations at the start of the school year. This week is tailored to your unique school community, providing you with the opportunity to identify activities most relevant in your context.
The Healthy Schools Recognition Program is offered in partnership between Ever Active Schools, Ophea and PHE Canada. These not-for-profit organizations champion healthy, active living in schools and communities to ensure that all children and youth enjoy the lifelong benefits of healthy, active living. Engage students, staff, and community members in conversation, experiential learning, and action planning to support the well-being of your school community throughout the entire year.