This resource discusses why partners are key to successful and sustainable school employee wellness efforts and contains three tables listing key partners—district-level, school-level, and community-based partners—suggested for engagement in employee wellness efforts. The tables include why each partner is important, what they can provide/how they can help, and ways to engage each partner, and links to helpful tools. 

To download fact sheet, please click Engaging Key Partners for School Employee Wellness.

Gaining buy-in and collaboration from district and school leadership, employees, and other key partners in the community for school employee wellness efforts is an important part of building a sustainable employee wellness initiative. Partners can provide:

• Funding.
• Staffing.
• Equipment and supplies.
• Space.
• Data and evaluation.
• Community support.
• Expertise.
• Influence with other important stakeholders.

Whether your employee wellness initiative is led by a small school-based team or a large district-wide team, partnerships with organizations outside of the school can provide your program with greater reach and more capacity to expand beyond the resources of your school/district, which can lead to greater sustainability.

Determining which partners to approach begins with identifying the health interests and needs of school employees, as well as understanding the major disease risk factors and health conditions in your school’s population. Health interest surveys and health risk assessments can help gather this information. Once the employee assessment is complete, the next step is for the district/school to assess their capacity for employee wellness—what can they do, what do they need help with, and what partnerships already exist that can support employee wellness. A consideration when identifying new partners is to ensure that the partners chosen represent the diversity (e.g., race, ethnicity, ages, gender, sexual orientation, job roles, socioeconomic status) of your staff. Invite a diverse group of employees to a planning meeting to discuss community services and leaders or organizations that represent their culture, lifestyles, or shared experiences.

The graphic below provides a snapshot of a school employee wellness initiative. It presents the possibilities of relationships that can develop. Remember, building a sustainable employee wellness initiative takes time. It’s ok to start small and build over time.