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Whole Child Approach - Overview

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A Whole Child approach recognizes that the education, health, safety, security, personal & social development and environmental citizenship of children and adolescents are intertwined and must be addressed holistically. Like the UN Sustainable Development goals, the ministries and agencies from several sectors need to coordinate their efforts to avoid competition or duplication while meeting the needs of the whole child. A global consensus statement from educator organizations describes a whole child approach as one that “ensures that each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged”.  
A whole child approach seeks to ensure each child, in each school, in each community…
  • benefits from a good start in life provided by parents, families and agencies including  early childhood education programs, day-care centres and compensatory early start services when needed so that all children enter the first years of schooling ready and able to learn
  • receives adequate and healthy food, clean water and lives and learns in clean, sanitary conditions while learning basic about nutrition, relevant infectious diseases, and personal hygiene
  • is protected from external threats such as conflict and war, disasters, environmental hazards, and epidemics/pandemics and learns coping and survival skills needed for recovery and resilience
  • studies in healthy, environmentally sustainable school buildings and facilities and learns about and practices healthy lifestyles, environmental citizenship and concern for the health and safety of others
  • learns about and benefits from personal safety in school environment and routes to school that are physically and emotionally safe for students and adults
  • feels socially and emotionally secure and connected to peers, trusted adults in the school, families and neighbourhoods/communities while learning about family life, relationships and living with others
  • is actively engaged in learning through a wide breadth of learning opportunities provided through an extensive range of core subjects and extended education activities during, after and within the school day
  • has access to personalized learning as well as heterogeneous classes/programs and is supported by qualified, caring adults, professionals and agencies based or linked with their school
  • is challenged or motivated academically and prepared for success in college/university, training or further informal study leading to decent employment and participation in local, national or global economies
  • Is recognized for their personal, social and academic achievements through appropriate student assessment practices as well as planned and inclusive informal, class and school activities
  • Is encouraged and expected to develop ethically, morally, and spiritually in school-related ways which are appropriate to their families and communities
  • Is counselled, supported, taught, and encouraged in their planning for life, future studies or work after school

The FRESH Partnership has also described the various aspects of child/adolescent development which need the partner ministries and agencies noted below in order that school-based and school-linked whole child approaches are effective:
  • ensuring equitable educational access & support for different inclusion strategies to overcome barriers to schooling (health, social protection ministries)
  • providing a broad range of courses and subjects to study, offering a variety of educational pathways to post-secondary education & training, providing remedial supports, vocational planning & academic guidance, encouraging students to engage with the future, develop school and life planning & goals and instilling values supporting hard, honest work and a balanced life (post-secondary education ministries)
  • providing food and other necessities to hungry or abused/neglected students (social protection, agriculture, health ministries)
  • ensuring the safety of children from bullying, violence, crime (law enforcement and justice ministries)
  • preventing accidents and exposure to various hazards and risks (law enforcement, municipalities, environment ministries) 
  • providing for the security of children and youth from conflict, disasters, earthquakes, exploitation & trafficking (civil protection, public safety, law enforcement ministries)
  • promoting the physical and mental health of children and youth (health, social services, child protection ministries)
  • providing clean water, proper sanitation, hygiene (municipalities, public health ministries)
  • requiring or delivering vaccinations, immunizations and other protections from infectious diseases, epidemics (public health, health care ministries)
  • providing/promoting clean air, protection from environmental hazards, environmental citizenship, mitigation of climate change effects (e.g. pollution, sun safety, asthma) (environment, health, municipalities ministries)
  • promoting personal development, social, emotional, honesty/character, moral/spiritual and/or religious development, creativity, critical thinking, decision-making (citizenship, culture ministrires)
  • promoting social development: responsibility for others, their community, global awareness, human rights, respect for the law, peace, order, good government (citizenship, culture, justice, law enforcement ministries)
This summary was first posted in December 2019 as  a"first edition" version..We encourage readers to submit comments or suggested edits by posting a comment on the Mini-blog & Discussion Page for this section or posting a comment below. Thea following individuals or organizations have contributed to the development of this topic. 
Text

This summary was first posted in June 2012. Currently it has been posted as  an "excerpt/adaptation", "first draft" or "revised draft" and "first or revised edition" version..We encourage readers to submit comments or suggested edits by posting a comment on the Mini-blog & Discussion Page for this section or posting a comment below:
Due to the length of Handbook Sections (similar to a book chapter) prepared for this web site and knowledge exchange program, we post these documents as separate documents. Click on this web link to access the draft or completed version on this topic. Come back to this page to post any comments or suggestions. 

This summary was first posted in June 2012. Currently it has been posted as  an "excerpt/adaptation", "first draft" or "revised draft" and "first or revised edition" version..We encourage readers to submit comments or suggested edits by posting a comment on the Mini-blog & Discussion Page for this section or posting a comment below:
 Bibliography/Toolbox on
Key research, reports and resources on this topic are highlighted below.  Many of the topics in this web site also have extensive bibliographies/toolboxes (BTs) published as separate documents. Click on this web link to access the full version of our Bibliography/Toolbox on this topic. These lists use our outline for these collections that we have developed over several years of curating these materials.
Research
Reports, Resources


Understand the Approach/ Program & Its Effectiveness in Different Contexts on Different Aspects of HPSD, Populations


How to Implement, Maintain, Scale Up, Sustain, Build Capacity, Leverage to Support Core Components.


How to integrate within Education Systems

Use of Ecological/ Systems Approach



Research Questions/
KDE Agenda
Understand the Approach/ Program & Its Effectiveness in Different Contexts on Different Aspects of HPSD, Populations


How to Implement, Maintain, Scale Up, Sustain, Build Capacity, Leverage to Support Core Components.


How to integrate within Education Systems

Use of Ecological/ Systems Approach



Research Questions/
KDE Agenda
The following additional resources are posted on this web site or published by other credible sources. Please send any suggested additions to i[email protected]
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Mini-Blog on Common Topics &Terms

Here is our list of topics for this section:
- Introduction & Overview
- Education Equity, Inclusion & Success - Multi-component Approaches (MCAs)
- Core Components         - School Culture & Climate
          - Staff Wellness
          - Student Conduct & Discipline
          - Engaging/Empowering Youth
          - Parent Participation
          - Community Involvement
  • Physical Environment & Resources
- Multi-Intervention Programs (MIPs)
  • How to Build a Multi-Intervention Program
- Single Interventions (Issue-Specific Programs, Policies, Services, Practices)

- Learning/Behaviour Models (LBMs)

- Behaviour & Learning Theories

- Government/Inter-sector Actions & Levers - Workforce Development
  • Workforce Planning in HPSD
  • Teacher Education & Development
    - Early Childhood Educators
    - Primary School Teachers
    - Secondary PSHE Specialists
    - Home Economics Specialists
    - Physical Education Specialists
    - School Counsellors
    - School Psychologists
    - School Principals
  • Preparing Other Professionals to Work with or within Schools
    - School Nurses
    - School Social Workers
    - School Resource (Police) Officers
    - Security/Civil Protection Guards
    - Teaching/Learning Assistants
    - School Administrative/Clerical Staff
    - School Maintenance Staff
    - Pastoral Counsellors
    - Community Volunteers & Elders
    - Emergency Relief Aid Workers
    - Development Aid Workers
- Systems Approaches
  • A Systems Focused Paradigm
  • Contextualizing Approaches & Programs
  • Implement, Maintain, Scale Up & Sustain Programs & Approaches
  • System & Organizational Capacities
  • Integrate Within Education System Mandates, Concerns & Constraints
  • Better Use of Systems Science & Organizational Development Tools