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Rosalie Aguilar-Santos

Rosalie Aguilar Santos, MS, is Salud America!'s national project coordinator. She is passionate about nutrition, physical activity, and opportunities to engage communities in advocacy actions to promote Latino childhood health.

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Articles by Rosalie Aguilar-Santos

What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) & How Can it Impact School Wellness?



According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to: understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. CASEL has developed a wheel that describes the SEL framework and how social and emotional learning can be integrated throughout classrooms, schools, homes and communities. According to CASEL, SEL can be integrated into instruction with reading, math, history, and other core subjects. Why is SEL important? Studies have shown that programs ...

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Keys to Success for Putting School Wellness Policies into Action



A number of factors can help make school wellness policies a success. To provide parents and educators with examples of what's worked in schools so far, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gathered a series of 11 stories from schools throughout the U.S. In their study of what works best the CDC found 7 commonalities among schools with successful school wellness policies including: A "wellness champion” (parent, teacher, administrator, or community member) who served as the driving force for developing and implementing the wellness policy; A wellness council to lead implementation efforts; Students who were involved in the design process through activities (i.e. students participated in taste tests); Parents were invited to help set wellness goals ...

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Local School Wellness Policies in 2017, Here’s What You Need to Know


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In July 2016, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) finalized regulations that create guidelines for written wellness policies established by local educational agencies (LEAs). The final rule requires LEAs to develop revised local school wellness policies during School Year 2016-2017. Schools must be compliant with these requirements by June 30, 2017. To meet the minimum requirements set by the USDA's FNS, all schools participating in the National School Lunch program or School Breakfast program will have to ensure that they: Include goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote students wellness. In developing these goals, local educational agencies must review and consider evidence-based strategies. Include ...

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Study: Latino Kids Who Face Discrimination Are More Likely to Suffer From Depression


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Latino youth who experience discrimination are are more likely to be depressed according to research published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence. The study which examined Latino youth between the ages of 13-17 who lived in the U.S. less than 5 years,  also concluded that these kids were less likely to display altruistic characteristics such as volunteering and helping out others. "For Latino adolescents and racial and ethnic minorities, this research demonstrates that discrimination poses an uncontrollable, additional set of challenges in addition to the challenges everyone experiences, whether financial, academic or interpersonal," said one of the study's co-authors, Gustavo Carlo. Read more about this ...

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Report: Disparities in child and adolescent mental health and mental health services in the U.S



According to a 2015 report published by the William T. Grant Foundation, 1 in 3 Latino kids live in poverty vs. 1 in 7 non-Latino white kids and 1 in 7 Asian children. Such differences are believed to be a central issue which compounds disparities in mental health. The report goes on to list 4 primary issues at the root of inequality in mental health including: Pervasive differences in family Socio-Econoimic Status; Adverse childhood experiences; Family structure; and Neighborhood-level Factors Read more about mental health and Latino ...

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Program Offers Mental Health Training to Faith Leaders in the Rio Grande Valley



On Dec 9,10 2016 Melody Cisneros Milstead will offer the first of many Faith Leader Mental Health First Aid training sessions. This groundbreaking 8-hour training course will kick-off at Centro Cristiano Familiar in Penitas,TX a city part of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). The course is aimed at giving people tools to identify when someone might be struggling with a mental health or substance use problem and to connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary. 1 in 5 Americans has a mental illness, but many are reluctant to seek help or might not know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use problems can be difficult to detect. For friends and family members, it can be hard to know when and how to step in. As a ...

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Churches United for Healthy Congregations



Groups like Churches United for Healthy Congregations are working to promote health equity in their community. For ideas on how to unite local faith leaders and better coordinate services for health visit their page. Click here for more ...

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Resources for Faith Based Organizations to Promote Health Equity



The Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) works with faith based organizations for the common goal of promoting health and eliminating health disparities. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health disparities exist when preventable differences in the burden of disease are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. Access resources from the CDC and OMHHE for reducing health disparities ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 9/6/16: How Faith Based Organizations Can Impact Latino Health



Faith is a big part of Latino culture. But what can churches and faith-based groups do to help improve health? With more than 90% of Latinos affiliated with a faith-based group, these places can serve as ample grounds for promoting healthy lifestyles, connecting congregants to social services, sharing recreational facilities, and more. How can you help faith communities be healthy? Join us for a #SaludTues chat this Tuesday to learn more about the great work happening at faith-based groups, and share your own ideas for creating a culture of health! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “How Faith Based Organizations Can Impact Latino Health” TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludToday CO-HOSTS: ...

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