Dedicated Wellbeing Spaces
A dedicated school wellbeing space can give students and staff a place to recharge and reset when experiencing difficult emotions or challenging circumstances. A wellbeing room or “wellbeing center” can be a great place to implement many of the wellbeing interventions for students included in this resource. Though wellbeing centers are gaining popularity in schools, evidence regarding their effectiveness and impact remains limited. However, some schools have begun reporting some positive outcomes. An elementary school in the Western U.S. found that within the first 90 days of having the wellbeing room, office referrals for disruptive behavior dropped by 40% (Fox13 News, 2021). Additionally, within those first 90 days, the wellbeing center had over 2,500 visits from students, indicating that it is a popular intervention among students (Fox13 News, 2021). These results are promising and we expect more comprehensive research to be forthcoming.
Wellbeing Center Resources
Community Education Channel Wellness Center Series: This is a three-part video series on the implementation of school wellness centers at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Videos include examples of wellness center set-up, activities, as well as student and staff anecdotes regarding wellness center use.
The following three resources include examples of various wellbeing and calming centers in place in schools, as well as suggestions for implementation:
Grade Level: | All |
Materials: |
Possible materials include:
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Duration: | Set up may require a few months. Students are intended to spend about 10 minutes at a time in the wellness center throughout the school year. |
Implementation: |
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References:
CASEL. (2020). TOOL: Create a high school peace room. https://edtechbooks.org/-Bkgt
Fox13. (2021, August 17). Utah school district puts more emphasis on student mental health with wellness room. https://edtechbooks.org/-tcQo
MindPeace. (n.d.) MindPeace rooms. https://edtechbooks.org/-ABzC
MindPeace. (n.d.) Calming spaces. https://edtechbooks.org/-RCRA
Wimmer, D. (2020, February 14). Utah schools using innovative approach to improve student mental health. KSL TV. https://edtechbooks.org/-fTx
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