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Greetings from Laura McDowell,
Director, Coordinated School Health,
Arkansas Department of Education

Welcome to the new Arkansas Coordinated School Health (ARCSH) Web page. While state Coordinated School Health web pages have been around for many years, we believe that the Arkansas page will be beneficial not only to Arkansans but other states as well. The ARCSH web page has many opportunities to find information on a variety of topics in health and education as well as resources that this office believes are beneficial in connecting the health and academics of our students.

In the months ahead, ARCSH will provide educators, nurses, organizations and agencies with articles related to Coordinated School Health Programs, education and health topics including health, physical education and physical activity, nutrition, HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy prevention, as well as updates on state legislation, professional development opportunities, and state and local conferences. An introduction of the model school sites presently implementing Coordinated School Health in Arkansas will be available. These schools will share success stories and ideas of implementation and sustainability.

The Arkansas Coordinated School Health Office is committed to the children of Arkansas families and communities. We believe that healthy children are healthy learners. If we can be of any service to you, please feel free to contact us at 501-683-3600 or through my email, Laura.McDowell@arkansas.gov.

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Greetings from Tamara Baker, RN, BSN, MPH
Director, Coordinated School Health
Department of Health and Human Services/Division of Health
(DHHS/DOH)

Welcome to Arkansas Coordinated School Health (ARCSH). As you visit the eight components of CSH on our website, we hope you will identify areas of interest to you and your organization. Whether you are starting Coordinated School Health in your school, a member of stakeholder organization or a concerned citizen, there is a role for you.

Our commitment is to provide training for schools and communties for quality programs that create model standards. Key activities from the state-level ARCSH team include materials development, standards development, technical support, monitoring and evaluation. These activities help us get closer to our vision of children and adolescents in Arkansas being healthy, successful students at school and contributing members in their communities.

We know that Arkansans face many health and academic challenges. Many of our children live in poverty, and schools often have limited resources. ARCSH is an initiative to help meet these challenges and offer a route to success through collaboration.

Each day the Arkansas Coordinated School Health team strives to nurture a state infrastructure that links health and education. Collaborating with existing organizations and seeking out local resources is one key to meeting children's needs through ARCSH. Coordinated School Health can really make a difference in the health and academic achievement of Arkansas children.

We hope you will enjoy exploring the Arkansas Coordinated School Health website. Please contact us with your questions and ideas.