22 I Compassionate Care, Community Impact Through our School Wellness Grant Program, KHS continues to invest in the well-being of students, staff and families across Kern County. The goal of the program is to expand efforts that support the physical, social, emotional and behavioral health of school communities. Since the grant program’s inception, KHS has served 22 school sites over five funding cycles. For the 2022–2024 cycle, we extended the grant term from one year to two years and saw strong results. Schools completed 94.1 percent of their work plans, compared to 81.7 percent in 2019. Scan to learn more about our School Wellness Grant Highlights from the latest cycle include: • Alicante Elementary in Lamont engaged 1,500 students in building and maintaining a new school garden. • Horizon Elementary used the Little Spots social-emotional learning curriculum, noting a 60 percent increase in TK–2 classroom connections and a 40 percent decrease in challenging behaviors. • Harvest Elementary in Delano launched a student running club, averaging 60 student participants each month. • Kernville Elementary implemented a sun and water safety curriculum, resulting in a 100 percent increase in student physical activity—an extra 90 minutes each week. • Sandrini Elementary installed three outdoor water fountains to help reduce overheating and improve hydration during recess. • Thompson Junior High started a powerlifting team with 100 student athletes, several of whom placed in local competitions. • Wallace Middle School in Lake Isabella installed nine vape detectors and launched a cessation program that led to a 37 percent decrease in vaping incidents. Supporting Student Wellness Across Kern County As we launched the 2024–2026 grant cycle, we focused on increasing equity and expanding our impact. A revised selection process brought in new reviewers from member engagement, health equity and our grants team. We prioritized schools that had not received prior funding—particularly in rural communities, schools serving students with special needs and areas with high Kern Family Health Care membership. Of the 10 schools selected for the new cycle, seven met at least one of our priority criteria, including schools in Wasco, Shafter, Rosamond, Tehachapi, Ridgecrest and Mojave.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTI0MzU=