School health and school-based care

Overview & Definition

Picture a parent sliding a blank “school medical form” across the desk. They want a signature before Monday. Your real job is wider. School health and school-based care is the set of services, plans and partnerships that keep children safe and learning during the school day. It includes school nursing, school-based health centres (SBHCs), written emergency and chronic-disease plans, medication systems, return-to-learn after concussion, infection and sports-outbreak responses, and confidential adolescent pathways when local law allows. [1] [2]

School is not a soft setting. Many children spend more supervised hours at school than in clinic. Asthma flares, anaphylaxis, seizures, hypoglycaemia, behavioural crises and post-concussion cognitive load all present there first. If the plan only lives in the hospital letter, staff cannot act when the child is blue or pale on the playground. [1] [4] [5]

This page owns the school interface. Dedicated leaves cover deep asthma, allergy immunology, diabetes technology, ADHD longitudinal care, and preschool or adolescent well-child packages. Cross-link those rather than hiding whole second chapters here. [8] [9]

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1. [1]COUNCIL ON SCHOOL HEALTH Role of the School Nurse in Providing School Health Services. Pediatrics, 2016.PMID 27217476
2. [2]Kjolhede C School-Based Health Centers and Pediatric Practice. Pediatrics, 2021.PMID 34544844
3. [3]Beem AA School-Based Health Centers as the Pediatric Expanded Medical Home. The Journal of school health, 2019.PMID 31529500
4. [4]Wang J Guidance on Completing a Written Allergy and Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan. Pediatrics, 2017.PMID 28193793
5. [5]Cogen F Diabetes Care in the School Setting: A Statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes care, 2024.PMID 39602587
6. [6]Halstead ME Returning to learning following a concussion. Pediatrics, 2013.PMID 24163302
7. [7]Halstead ME Sport-Related Concussion in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 2018.PMID 30420472
8. [8]Wolraich ML Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 2019.PMID 31570648
9. [9]COMMITTEE ON PRACTICE AND AMBULATORY MEDICINE 2023 Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care. Pediatrics, 2023.PMID 36938620
10. [10]COMMITTEE ON PRACTICE AND AMBULATORY MEDICINE Medical Versus Nonmedical Immunization Exemptions for Child Care and School Attendance. Pediatrics, 2016.PMID 27573087
11. [11]Davies HD Infectious Diseases Associated With Organized Sports and Outbreak Control. Pediatrics, 2017.PMID 28947608
12. [12]COUNCIL ON COMMUNITY PEDIATRICS Promoting Food Security for All Children. Pediatrics, 2015.PMID 26498462
13. [13]Flaherty EG Clinical report—the pediatrician’s role in child maltreatment prevention. Pediatrics, 2010.PMID 20945525
14. [14]Rafferty J Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 2018.PMID 30224363
15. [15]Flynn JT Clinical Practice Guideline for Screening and Management of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 2017.PMID 28827377
16. [16]Grossman DC, Bibbins-Domingo K, Curry SJ, et al. Screening for Obesity in Children and Adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA, 2017.PMID 28632874
17. [17]Paruthi S Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2016.PMID 27250809
18. [18]Piercy KL The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA, 2018.PMID 30418471
19. [19]Council on Community Pediatrics Providing care for children and adolescents facing homelessness and housing insecurity. Pediatrics, 2013.PMID 23713108
20. [20]Wall-Wieler E Maternal Depression in Early Childhood and Developmental Vulnerability at School Entry. Pediatrics, 2020.PMID 32817440