Sustainability Planning for Student Wellness

Sustaining a successful student wellness program requires planning and partnerships. Schools and districts can use a sustainability plan as a roadmap to move a wellness program beyond a grant or special project and into long-term continuation or expansion of the program. 

Schools and districts can develop a sustainability plan for programs and initiatives that support student wellness and readiness for learning. Click on the links below to go directly to each step. 

Sustainability Planning Steps

Step 1: Assemble the Sustainability Planning Team

Schools and districts can maximize sustainability planning by engaging a team to support planning efforts. This team should include a wide range of partners and collaborators, including program coordinators, teachers and school personnel, principals and administrators, students, parents and caregivers, and community partners.

Consider the following best practices when assembling a Sustainability Planning Team:

  • Identify team roles and responsibilities. Clearly define roles within the team to create strong collaboration. Defining roles is helpful in determining how the team will function and gives each team member a sense of shared ownership in the sustainability planning process.
  • Determine a collective team planning process. Sustainability planning works best when integrated within daily work responsibilities and requires ongoing time commitment from all team members. Simple strategies can support planning momentum, such as setting a weekly team meeting or blocking time on calendars for planning. Incorporate opportunities to brief key school and district leaders on the team’s progress.
  • Focus on quarterly goals. Identify and set achievable goals for the team each quarter, focusing on the next 6 to 12 months.
  • Reflect and revise the process as needed. It is important to continually adjust sustainability plans in response to changing contexts, needs, and priorities.

Sustainability Planning Teams can use the Sustainability Planning  Team Charter Template to document the team’s shared purpose, goals, roles and responsibilities, and planning process.

Step 2: Understanding the Program’s Mission and Goals

To understand and articulate how the program fits into the larger learning ecosystem, Sustainability Planning Teams can use the Sustainability Strategy Development Worksheet to document the program’s mission, vision, and core components alongside the strategic priorities of the school and district. This demonstrates alignment of the program with school and district priorities that support program sustainability when faced with changes in leadership and funding levels.

Step 3: Assess Readiness

Sustainability Planning Teams can assess the program on indicators of sustainable practices or conditions. Set aside time for members of the team to complete an assessment, such as an online Program Sustainability Assessment Tool or another tool and utilize the results or report for planning.

Use the team’s next meeting to discuss the findings of the assessment and brainstorm potential strategies for inclusion in the Sustainability Action Plan. Document these strategies in the team’s Sustainability Strategy Development Worksheet.

Step 4: Determine and Prioritize Program Components for Sustainability

As a Sustainability Planning Team, review program evaluation data to see which program components are most effective and essential.
Consider these guiding questions:

  • What does our team want to sustain, and why?
  • Do the outcomes merit ongoing investment in the program?
  • Does the team want to sustain the full program or select key components? If not, which parts should not be sustained?
  • Are there fiscal and staffing resources to sustain the intervention?
  • Is there continued leadership support? Is there support from the staff, school community, and other partner support?
  • Are the implementation supports (training, coaching, and data systems) maintainable?
  • What key changes need to be made (policies, procedures) to support program sustainability?

Document the program components to be sustained in the team’s Sustainability Strategy Development Worksheet.

Step 5: Develop a Sustainability Action Plan

The last step in the process is to turn strategy into action by developing a Sustainability Action Plan. Use an action plan template to organize each strategy outlined in the team’s Sustainability Strategy Development Worksheet. Identify concrete actions, owners, resources needed (time, money, people, and technology), timelines, and expected outcomes. The goal is to clarify action steps that support the sustainability of the program.

Sustainability Planning Resources

Last Modified: 2/28/2025 11:00:13 AM