Management of the School Health Program

Planning, Implementation, monitoring,

evaluation

In the management of a school health program, there are three general phases:
preparatory, execution, and evaluation.

Phases
Preparatory

⤢ ⤡

Evaluation ⬌ Execution

The activities for each phase are shown in the table below

Phase Activities
Preparatory Planning
Needs assessment
brainstorming
Execution Preparation of the Action plan
Preparation of Gantt charts
Monitoring
Evaluation Assessment of output, process, or
product

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Preparatory Phase- Planning
The school health consultant writes down the general plan which consists of the
program components with a list of activities per component.
Following are illustrations and examples:

A very small school

Component Activity

Health Services Determination of height & weight

Healthful environment Provision of trash cans

Health education Class discussion on fever

Small to medium-sized school

Component Activity

Health education Health personnel is invited as a guest

teacher

Healthful environment Inspection of premises to eliminate

biological hazards

Health services Periodic health assessment

Health promotion for staff Annual medical-dental examination

School-home-community Solid waste management within the

involvement for health barangay

Physical education Monitoring of classes to ensure

sufficient physical activity

Counseling, psychological and Identification of student or staff

social services member with psychological or social
needs.

Nutrition and food services Monitoring of food handlers’ health

certificate

A big school or a university

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 Component Activity

Health services Schedule catch-up vaccination

Health education Hold regular classes per level

Physical environment Ensure safe transport to & from school

Employees wellness Evaluate the worksite health program

Physical education & physical activity Interschool sports events

Nutrition environment & services Involve the students in meal planning,

meal evaluation, and taste tests

Social & emotional climate Establish a crisis response system

Counseling, psychological and social Conduct seminars to organize a peer

services counseling system

Family engagement Hold workshops/ seminars on

parenting

Community engagement Work with the community in the

elimination of illegal use of alcohol and
drugs

Decide which school health program model is best for your school
School Health Program Models:
[ ] Three-component
[ ] Four-component
[ ] Eight-component
[ ] Ten-component
[ ] Full-service schools

Preparatory phase - Needs Assessment

Find out the needs of the school
Gather information on the health status of students and staff
a) perspective of stakeholders, esp. administrator and parents
b) reports and previous experience

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 c) gather health-related data: top causes, cases
d) review existing mandates
e) identify information gaps

Preparatory phase -Brainstorming by the Health Council

The members of the Health Council are the key persons in school: the school
head, health teacher, guidance counselor, PE teacher, school officer in charge of
the canteen, security and maintenance, school clinic staff.

Using the data gathered from the Needs Assessment the council determines the
activity(ies )for each component basing them on the objectives.

Characteristics of the School Health Plan

1. Appropriate & complete
In answer to real problems
Comprehensive in scope

2. Flexible & functional

Easily adjustable to changing conditions
Do-able, effective

3. In harmony with school’s culture

Considers both tradition and existing policies

Execution phase - Preparation of the Action Plan

○ Formulate the goals and objectives
○ For each objective think of activities
○ For each activity determine the criteria for monitoring and evaluation or
indicators for success
○ Prepare tables & graphs to serve as a guide

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 Preparation of the Action Plan

Action Plan for Component ____________

Goal:
Activity Objective Timetable In Charge Participants Resources Monitoring Evaluation
indicator criteria

Step 1: Define your end goal, and before you move on to the next step, run your goal
through the SMART criteria. Or in other words, make sure that it is

Specific – well-defined and clear

Measurable – include measurable indicators to track progress
Attainable – realistic and achievable within the resources, time, money,
experience, etc. you have
Relevant – align with your other goals
Timely – has a finishing date

Step 2: For each objective list down the series of tasks to be followed

Each task should be clearly defined and is attainable. For larger or complex tasks, break
them down into smaller ones for easier execution.

Step 3: Reorganize the list by prioritizing the tasks, then add realistic deadlines.

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 Task Person in charge Due Date

1.

2.

3.

Step 4: Identify the resources needed

Before the start of a project or activity, the necessary resources should be at hand.
Resources include materials or equipment, manpower, venue, and its facilities, and
finances. Assign a column of your action plan to mark the cost of each task if there are
any.

Resources

Task Materials Manpower Venue Budget

Step 6. Write down the monitoring indicator

Step 7. Write down the evaluation criteria or indicator for success

REVIEW THE ACTION PLAN

Answer the following:

Are the objectives clearly stated in outcome terms? yes [ ] no [ ]

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Are the activities clear and measurable? yes [ ] no [ ]

Are the kind and quantity of resources adequate? yes [ ] no [ ]

Are causal linkages between the objectives and strategies/activities plausible? yes [
] no [ ]

Are there constraints that may limit the program? ____________________________

______________________________________________________________________
_______
______________________________________________________________________
_______

Use of INDICATOR

In monitoring and evaluation, an indicator measures achievement, change of

performance and determine accountability

An indicator may be a quantitative or qualitative variable that allows changes

produced by an intervention relative to what was planned to be measured.

An indicator is preferably numerical and can be measured over time to show changes.

Preparation of the Gantt chart or Milestone chart

The Gantt chart keeps you aware of the schedule and progress of the activity.

Jun July August Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March
Activities/Events e

Examinations ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

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Fire Drills ✓

Vaccination ✓ ✓

Canteen ✓ ✓
Inspection

Seminar ✓ ✓

Fun run ✓

Drug testing ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

MONITORING

Definition: a continuing function that uses systematic collection of data on specific

indicators to provide the management and the main stakeholders of an ongoing
intervention with indications of the extent of achievement of objectives and progress in
the use of allocated funds.

Purpose of monitoring: To assess progress toward creating the conditions needed to

support improved health and learning outcomes.

What Monitoring does:

[Link] helps in setting norms of performance
[Link] helps in measuring the level of performance
[Link] helps in comparing performance level with standards
[Link] helps in identifying deviations and explain the reasons for the deviation for taking
necessary corrective action

Monitoring is needed in the following:

○ Detecting deviations from plans
○ Diagnosing causes for deviations

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 Taking corrective action

EVALUATION PHASE

Following are the basic steps in the evaluation of the program

1. Establishing standards and criteria
2. Collecting or looking at documented data
3. Analyzing the data
(Data are taken from the set of criteria, which was part of the action plan)
4. Making conclusions and taking action

The conclusion should answer the question “ Was the objective achieved?” which will
be the basis for planning for the following year’s program.

The evaluation of a school health program is a systematic review, and analysis of the
activities cited in the Action Plan. These activities aim to improve students’ health and
educational outcomes. The evaluation gives a snapshot in time of programs and
policies that address student and staff health.

From this picture, the school health council or other health committees can move
forward in creating the next school year action plan, monitoring activities, and
celebrating successes

Reasons for carrying out an Evaluation

● To review the implementation of and services provided by the school
health program.
● To improve health programs and the health infrastructure
● To render health activities more relevant, more efficient, and more
effective
● To assess progress towards desired health status at individual and
school levels and identify reasons for the gap, if any
● To document results achieved by a project funded by donor
agenciesTypes of indicators for evaluation are output indicators, process
indicators, and product indicators.
● To serve as a basis for allocation of resources in current and future
activities

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EXAMPLES OF INDICATORS FOR EVALUATION

1. What is to be measured? (What is going to change? E.g., BMI of elementary school

children)

2. Unit of measurement to be used (to describe the change, e.g., percentage)

3. Pre-program status (sometimes called the “baseline”, e.g., 40 percent in 2016)

4. Size, magnitude. or dimension of intended change (e.g., 75 percent in 2018)

5. Quality or standard of the change to be achieved (e.g., improvement in BMI among

the malnourished)

6. Target populations(s) (e.g., all elementary pupils)

7. Time frame (e.g., January 2021 to January 2022)

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