Whole Child Framework Start Up Guide for School Leaders
Ohio’s strategic plan for education, Each Child, Our Future, puts the whole child at the center, where each component of the plan works harmoniously to support a whole child approach. Likewise, Ohio’s Whole Child Framework also places the whole child at the center, with district, school, family and community supporting the needs of the whole child using a comprehensive approach. The Whole Child Framework provides a blueprint to meet these whole child needs, which are foundational to a child’s intellectual and social development and necessary for students to fully engage in learning and school.
School and district leaders can use this toolkit to ensure shared leadership with parents, caregivers and community partners to help schools examine their programs and supports so that each child is challenged to discover and learn, prepared to pursue a fulfilling post-high school path and empowered to become resilient, lifelong learner who contributes to society.
School and district leaders are critical in creating supports to meet the needs of the whole child. This resource will guide school and district leaders through understanding their existing connections to the Whole Child Framework, where there are opportunities for growth and how to identify staff who can best support ongoing implementation of a whole child approach. School leaders will find step-by-step guidance for implementing the Whole Child Framework though a continuous improvement process. To best coordinate resources, districts should coordinate policy, programs and practices, practice cultural responsiveness, deliberately focus on equity and dedicate time and resources to structured continuous improvement. This guide provides information on implementation of systemic practices for whole child education through the lens of the Ohio Improvement Process; however, the information provided can be transferred to any continuous improvement process schools and districts use to plan, implement and evaluate policies, programs and practices.
The Ohio Department of Education will update the guide as resources become available. Direct questions or suggestions to the Office of Whole Child Supports at wholechild@ohio.education.gov.
Last Modified: 6/30/2022 10:35:43 AM