Two Permian Basin IDEA schools receive recognition as the nation’s healthiest schools

September 5: The Alliance for a Healthier Generation has named two IDEA Public Schools in the Permian Basin as part of America’s Healthiest Schools for 2024. This annual recognition honors schools for implementing best practices to support the health of students, staff, and families. Eight hundred and seventy-nine schools in 30 states were recognized this year.

IDEA Permian Basin schools that will receive rankings on the 2024 national list include:

— IDEA Yukon Academy and College Preparatory School

America’s Healthiest Schools is the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s annual recognition program that honors schools for implementing policies and practices to promote health and well-being. Schools on this list have excelled in one or more of the nine key areas outlined in the Healthier Generation’s Integrated Assessment of Thriving Schools. This award recognizes their outstanding achievements in:

— Strengthening health and social-emotional learning, presented by Kaiser Permanente

— Cultivating Staff Well-Being, presented by Kaiser Permanente

—Increasing Family and Community Engagement, presented by Kohl’s

— Improving Nutrition and Food Access, presented by Del Monte Foods

— Implementation of the local school welfare policy

— Promote education and physical activity

— Enriching health education

— Promotion of tobacco-free schools

— Support for school health services

“At IDEA, our mission is to support students’ academic success while addressing their physical and mental health needs,” said Eva Rodriguez, IDEA’s vice president of Student Health and Wellness, in a press release. “We accomplish this by offering health services, nutritious meals, opportunities for physical activity, and education on making healthy lifestyle choices. This recognition from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation highlights the outstanding collaborative efforts across our campuses and the impact of our Healthy Kids Here program.”

This distinction is a significant achievement thanks to IDEA’s Healthy Kids Here program. Celebrating its 10th year of operation, Healthy Kids Here is an initiative aimed at making IDEA one of the healthiest school districts in the United States. The three main areas of focus are nutrition, physical activity, and instilling healthy habits for the future. The program provides students with healthy meals, ample time for physical education and activity during the school day, and robust health services to keep them healthy.

For more information about IDEA and Healthy Kids Here, visit www.ideapublicschools.org.

To view the complete list of award winners, visit HealthierGeneration.org/HealthiestSchools.