Erie’s Public Schools share best school wellness practices with all of Erie County

Erie’s Public Schools (EPS) knows that healthy kids learn better. For the past three years, they’ve been the recipient of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child grant.

Over that time, they’ve hired a full-time district wellness manager and a full-time farm-to-school coordinator and made the health of their students and staff a priority by training all staff on their district wellness policy, evaluating their school wellness-based policies and practices by completing the School Health Index, strengthening their district wellness council, improving their implementation of school wellness best practices, and even incorporating school wellness into their strategic plan. “I was thrilled when the Strategic Plan Steering Committee included well-being in the EPS Strategic Plan,” said District Wellness Manager Kaitlyn Falk. “When wellness is prioritized from the top, we can ensure that best practices for school health are in every element of our school day.”

Now EPS is ready to share their best practices and lessons learned with neighboring schools. This July, they opened their doors to districts across Erie County and hosted 120 district administrators and school board directors from 15 school districts at the 2026 School Leaders’ Regional Wellness Conference. The conference covered all elements of school wellness: nutrition, physical activity, chronic health condition management, staff self-care, and policy implementation. National experts taught attendees best practices in bringing kinesthetic learning to classrooms, scratch cooking to cafeterias, safer routes to schools, how to build thriving gardens, and so much more. The message was clear – creating a whole-child wellness culture in schools impacts student attendance, behavior, and grades, as well as staff morale and retention. Administrators and school board directors can create that environment by prioritizing school wellness best practices.

Kristy Bolte, president of the Northwestern School Board, PSBA’s Western Zone Representative, and Intermediate Unit 5 board member, was excited to attend. “When school board members invest in learning about wellness, they invest in the future of every student,” Bolte said. “Effective policy begins with understanding, and wellness conferences provide the tools to lead with purpose, compassion and evidence. I was excited for an opportunity to engage in professional development to help me lead more effectively.” 

Kristen Rodack, executive deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, provided welcome remarks at the conference. “Based on extensive research, we know that students cannot fully engage in learning if they are struggling with hunger, anxiety, trauma, chronic illness, social isolation or unmet needs,” said Pennsylvania Department of Health Executive Deputy Secretary Kristen Rodack. “That is why creating a coordinated strategy where educators, families, health care providers, community organizations and local leaders work together to support students’ overall wellness matters.”

With support from state and local government, as well as several community partners, the school districts of Erie County are well on their way to creating the healthiest county in Pennsylvania!