Irving ISD, Irving Hospital Authority and Blue Zones, LLC have joined to launch a transformative well-being journey to improve the health and happiness of district employees, students and families.
Over the next three years, Irving ISD will implement a comprehensive well-being strategy designed to achieve Blue Zones® Worksite Certification.
“At Irving ISD, we believe that the well-being of our employees directly impacts the success of our students. Partnering with Blue Zones reflects our commitment to creating a culture where every staff member feels supported, valued and empowered to thrive – both personally and professionally. By investing in the health and happiness of our team, we’re building stronger schools and a stronger community,” says Superintendent Magda A. Hernández.
Irving ISD will receive support from national Blue Zones worksite experts to implement a comprehensive, evidence-based plan for improving employee well-being. Blue Zones is the nationally recognized leader in well-being transformation, and its School District Certification model draws upon 20 years of experience in community and longevity science to empower organizations to cultivate thriving work and learning environments. The rigorous, multi-year commitment integrates the Blue Zones approach into the organization’s culture, aligning people, spaces and policies to foster lasting change.
Blue Zones focuses on creating surroundings and systems that default to healthier behaviors. The model is rooted in lessons learned from the world’s healthiest, longest-lived cultures in the original blue zones regions, where residents make healthy choices because those choices are easy – even unavoidable – in their surroundings. In the School District Certification model, Blue Zones works with employers to optimize working environments and sharpen policies so healthier choices are easier for their employees.
As Irving ISD and Blue Zones leaders work together to create a well-being strategy for the district, there could be some changes to physical environments, employee policies, opportunities for social connection, well-being programming and food environment.
Over the next several months, Blue Zones experts will be visiting the district and schools as they complete a full assessment that will lead to a Blue Zones Blueprint that outlines strategy options for how Irving ISD will enhance well-being for each employee and make Irving ISD a better place to work and learn.
