Say Yes To Education

Say Yes to Education was founded in 1987 by money manager George Weiss, who promised to prepare 112 Philadelphia sixth graders for college, and to pay their college tuition if they graduated high school. Say Yes now helps entire communities make a similar commitment to every public high school student. In January 2019, the organization launched its fourth communitywide chapter, in Cleveland, Ohio. With the addition of Cleveland, Say Yes scholarships and supports will soon be available to more than 170,000 public school students. An Integrated Health Task Force (IHTF) convened in 2020 to design a plan to achieve integrated health services in all Say Yes Cleveland Schools, beginning with implementation of a pilot program in the 2020-2021 academic year. It's clear that some of the biggest impediments to educational success for students relate to health and wellness. Health Policy Institute of Ohio's 2017 brief on the connection between health and education concluded that, "physically and emotionally healthy, active and well-nourished children are more like to achieve academic success because they generally have better school attendance and are better able to focus and learn while in school." 

Better Health Partnership proudly assists the IHTF in facilitating enhanced data sharing and communication between the physical, behavioral and mental health services, as well as providing access to Community Health Workers through the Pathways Community HUB to assist with student and family social needs.