Children's Hospital Colorado
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School Health

At Children’s Hospital Colorado, we know that kids who feel good have better school attendance and improved academic performance. That’s why promoting health services in area schools and training skilled school nurses are top priorities.  

Because so much of a child’s time is spent in school, these institutions play a critical role in promoting health and safety for children. While many students only visit a school nurse or health assistant for minor illnesses or injuries, others rely on these healthcare workers for ongoing medical needs. School nurses are often on the front lines of identifying critical medical needs and connecting families with support services.  

School Health Nursing Program 

Our School Health Nursing Program provides consultative nursing services on a contractual basis to public school districts, charter schools, independent schools, and early childhood and childcare centers. As leaders in this area, our team also provides resources and guidance on best practices for school health, as well as advocates on issues that affect the students and families we serve.

Leading the state’s school health coalition

Children’s Colorado leads the Colorado Alliance for School Health, a coalition of 15 state-level education and healthcare organizations. The Alliance works together to transform how healthcare and education partners create sustainable systems and health equity among Colorado schools. Our vision is that every Colorado student is healthy, learning and thriving. 

School nurse training and consultative services

We partner with more than 350 schools and childcare programs in the state and region to provide school nursing services to more than 82,000 children and young adults. Our program provides support through consultation, referral information and in-service education and training offered to school and childcare professionals.

Our school nurse consultation program also supports and facilitates the successful transition of children with complex health needs into the school and community environment and promotes partnerships between Children’s Colorado, the educational system, families and community programs.

School nurse consultative services may be provided in-person or virtually. Read more about our school nurse consultation services: 

School nurse resources 

Our school health nursing team collaborates with state and regional agencies to provide subject matter expertise for common conditions and health concerns that affect students, such as asthma, diabetes, seizures, severe allergies and more. We work closely with the medical experts at Children’s Colorado to create guidelines for best practice care.  

View and download our school nurse resources.

School-based dental center

Tooth decay (also called cavities or dental caries) is the most common chronic disease for school-age children. In fact, more than 30% of kindergarteners in Colorado have cavities. The problem increases as children get older; by third grade, 47% of kids have had cavities.

All children should have oral health education and regular access to dental care to support good oral health outcomes, starting at age 1 or when the first teeth come in. This provides us with the best chance to prevent cavities and improve the health of children’s teeth and gums.

Our school-based dental team provides caring and affordable dental care to Aurora Public Schools students at two school-based health center locations:

Laredo Kid’s Clinic  
1420 Laredo Street  
Aurora, CO 80111

Crawford Kid’s Clinic  
1600 Florence Street  
Aurora, CO 80010

For more info, email SchoolBasedDentalClinic@childrenscolorado.org or call 720-777-5061.

Asthma COMP Program

Asthma is the leading cause of hospitalizations and missed school days for kids, especially among lower socioeconomic groups. Children’s Colorado addresses asthma-related challenges through a multi-faceted approach, implementing community and school outreach programs, home visits and innovative research studies.

One such program is the AsthmaCOMP Program, a school-centered asthma management program designed to help improve asthma control for students through educational classes, asthma self-management, environmental trigger awareness and reduction, and partnership with health providers.  

Mental health programs and resources for schools

Colorado youth are experiencing a mental health crisis, and many organizations that serve children and families are overwhelmed by demand. At Children’s Colorado, mental health is our top community health priority, and we’re dedicated to reaching as many pediatric patients as possible — both in our hospitals and clinics across the state, as well as through partnerships with organizations to bring needed mental health resources to schools.

Here are some of the ways we’re working within our community to improve mental health:

  • The Youth Action Board of our Pediatric Mental Health Institute created a Youth Mental Health Toolkit for Schools to help increase conversations regarding the spectrum of mental and emotional experiences. The toolkit was designed for teachers, youth program leaders and other youth-serving professionals.
  • Partners for Children’s Mental Health (PCMH) is focused on improving the youth mental health system in Colorado. Through PCMH, we work to bring communities together — including schools — and facilitate lasting partnerships across our healthcare system. Through this partnership, we also drive innovative solutions, share evidence-based practices to improve mental health care and gather and share critical data to inform policy and advocacy efforts.
  • In Colorado Springs, the Building Resiliency for Healthy Kids program is a motivational, child-centered program aimed at studying whether it is possible to build and improve resiliency in children through one-on-one health coaching within a school setting.

Additional programs and resources

For more information on our School Health Nursing Program, email
SchoolHealth@childrenscolorado.org.