FAQs
What are the benefits of participating in HealthLit4Kids?
There are many benefits of participating in HealthLit4Kids for children and their teachers, families and communities.
The key benefits are:
- Raising awareness of health and wellbeing within schools and communities
- Raising awareness of health and health literacy as a learning priority
- Empowering children and teachers to engage with health as part of their everyday activities
- Empowering schools to deliver health literacy across the whole school using a cross-curriculum approach
- Improving understanding of the value of health in education
- Generating discussions about health and wellbeing amongst children and their teachers, families and communities
- Providing professional development opportunities for teachers and other staff
How does the program work?
HealthLit4Kids involves several steps in engagement, delivery and evaluation. Once participation in HealthLit4Kids is confirmed, your school or organisation and parents will be invited to:
- Participate in research-based workshops and focus groups about health literacy and the HealthLit4Kids program
- Contribute to the 'Action Plan' for your school on developing health literacy skills and activities
- Confirm consent for your students to participate in HealthLit4Kids school-based activities and Expo
- Develop and deliver a health literacy activity (or activities) for your school/classroom
- Present the outcomes of your activities at a school-wide 'Expo' of HealthLit4Kids artefacts
Who participates in the HealthLit4Kids program? And what about consent?
The whole school participates in the HealthLit4Kids program, including students, teachers, parents and any community members who may support or contribute to particular health-literacy activities.
Information on consent for participating in HealthLit4Kids can be found under the 'Consent' tab.
How long does it last?
HealthLit4Kids is designed as a single term program, conducted over a period of 6-12 weeks, depending on your school's needs. Once schools have participated in the initial term of HealthLit4Kids they have the opportunity to consider incorporating health literacy into their curriculum into the future. The continuation of the HealthLit4Kids program is facilitated by developing a school health literacy policy in collaboration with the HealthLit4Kids researchers.
What are the outcomes?
We anticipate that teachers and parents will observe a change in children’s understanding of health and wellbeing as a result of their participation in the HealthLit4Kids program. This learning will be reinforced through reflections and discussions with their teachers, peers and family. Children will gain a sense of achievement in completing their artefacts and participating in the EXPO and a better understanding of the role of health in their school community. Teachers participating in HealthLit4Kids will gain useful skills and experience in developing health literacy programs and activities for their classroom and school. Schools will gain an 'Action Plan' relevant to their school, that may serve as a guide for future health literacy programming.
Are there any risks?
There are no risks involved in HealthLit4Kids that are not mitigated by each participating school. Once schools sign up for HealthLit4Kids, it is their responsibility to confirm consent from students and parents, and to monitor any risks involved with classroom activities or the EXPO. Any personal health related issues raised by students during the course of HealthLit4Kids will be subject to the usual Department of Education protocols. The co-development of the HealthLit4Kids Action Plan between each school and the researchers is intended to minimise any miscommunication that may occur in the rollout of the program. Consent forms for students and parents are provided and collected by the HealthLit4Kids research team during the course of the program. Please see the 'Consent' tab for more information on consent.
