Communicating Health Messages

B. ACCESSING THE RESOURCES OF NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Establishing communication with individual school nurses, administrators, board members, and parents in the pediatrician's community is key to facilitating the pediatrician's involvement in school health. But working with their membership organizations on the national level is important, too. The information these organizations provide their members helps them do their jobs, and by accessing that information provided by these professional organizations, the pediatrician may better understand their needs and concerns.

SLIDE V-7

1. National Association of School Nurses

National Association of School Nurses
PO Box 1300
Scarborough, ME 04070-1300
Phone: 207/883-2117
Fax: 207/883-2683

  • The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) is dedicated to advancing the practice of school nursing and providing leadership in the delivery of quality health programs to the school community.
  • A major focus of the NASN is the prevention of illness and disability and the early detection of children with special health care needs in the school setting. The NASN also supports families who lack health care or are uninsured or under-insured, and it also works to immunize and support homeless children in their school health care needs.
  • The NASN provides continuing education conferences and presentations for school nurses on their roles in health education and in providing primary health care and health counseling.
  • The NASN develops policy statements on various topics in school health that help guide school nurses in their daily activities. The NASN also produces materials on the school nurse's role in the delegation of care.

2. American Association of School Administrators

American Association of School Administrators
1801 N Moore St
Arlington, VA 22209
Phone: 703/528-0700
Fax: 703/841-1543
Web site: www.aasa.org

  • Founded in 1865, the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) is the professional organization for more than 16,500 educational leaders across North America and in many other countries.
  • Major areas of focus for AASA include improving the condition of children and youth, preparing schools and school systems for the 21st century, connecting schools and communities, and enhancing the quality and effectiveness of school leaders.
  • Major AASA activities include publications and audiovisual programs, an annual national conference on education and other professional development opportunities, communications services to assist educators in communicating effectively, and governmental relations services to keep elected and appointed officials informed about education concerns.
  • The AASA has special groups to assist administrators in small, rural, suburban, urban, and regional school districts and to address the needs of women and minorities.

3. National School Boards Association

National School Boards Association
1680 Duke St
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703/838-6722
Fax: 703/683-7590
Web site: www.nsba.org

  • The NSBA is a not-for-profit federation of state associations of school boards across the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
  • The NSBA represents the nation's 95,000 school board members who govern the 14,772 local school districts that serve more than 40 million public school students.
  • The mission of the NSBA is to foster excellence and equality in public education through school board leadership.
  • The NSBA has a long standing understanding of the importance of addressing the holistic needs of children-both in schools and in partnership with families and communities-so they can grow up to be educated, healthy, and productive members of society.
  • The NSBA uses a variety of strategies, including publications, training programs, conferences, advocacy efforts, and research to provide school policy makers with information and skills necessary for taking appropriate actions in support of school health programs and children's well-being.
  • Through a cooperative agreement with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NSBA provides a wide range of programming directed at educating and supporting school board members about HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) education and comprehensive school health programs. Activities include a database of materials to help school board members make informed decisions about HIV/AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) and school health policies and programs, workshops and technical assistance, and development of a help line and other technical assistance services to support local districts in adopting health-related policies and programs.

4. National PTA

National PTA
330 N Wabash Ave, Ste 2100
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312/670-6782
Web site: www.pta.org

  • The National PTA is the largest volunteer service organization established to promote the health, education, and safety of children and families.
  • The organization collaborates with other child education, health, and advocacy associations in developing comprehensive school health programs and urges educators to institute such programs in all schools.
  • Legislative directives of the National PTA are approved annually by the National PTA board of directors and are based on policy statements, resolutions, and position statements of the organization. Directives represent current legislative priorities of the PTA and reflect children's issues that are expected to be on the congressional agenda.
  • The PTA supports national initiatives that advocate for safe and drug-free schools, preventive health care, health education, and healthy lifestyles for children and youth and that promote partnerships among school, community, and family in serving the needs of the whole child.