Sleep Screening and Education Program

Geisinger’s Wake Up and Learn sleep screening and education program can help your students perform better.

Wake Up and Learn school-based sleep education and surveillance program helps students, parents, and staff:

  • Understand the importance of establishing proper sleep schedules
  • Screen for sleep health issues throughout the year
  • Provide education information to help students set and maintain good sleep habits

We want kids and teens to have great days both in and outside of school. Did you know that chronic sleep difficulties can result in poor grades, impaired sports performance, increased risk-taking behavior, and mood instability? Our program helps all students establish healthy sleep habits. It also identifies students who have chronic sleep difficulties, setting them on a path to getting help. Together, we can positively impact your student’s physical, mental, and emotional wellness.

The Importance of Sleep Screening Teens & Kids at School

Have you noticed your students exhibiting these symptoms?

  • Depression
  • Anger
  • Excessive weight gain
  • Lack of focus or motivation
  • Frequent illness

It turns out, your students may be experiencing sleep disorders. These symptoms are not easily recognized as being caused by a sleep disorder. As a result, the child or teen needlessly endures their symptoms instead of receiving treatment or being taught how to establish healthy habits.

Schools screen kids for vision or hearing problems. Wake up and Learn advocates that schools screen for sleep disorders at the same time. But how would this work?

  1. Children and Teens are asked to fill out a survey that is completed online. It asks questions that are easy for them to answer.
  2. The survey information is reviewed. Students who are showing signs of sleep concerns are invited to complete a more detailed assessment for personalized recommendations.
  3. Their parent or guardian receives a letter, giving personalized guidance on how to best partner with their doctor to improve the child’s sleep.

Students can have their sleep screened in the beginning, middle, and end of the school year.

What types of screenings are already conducted in Schools?

  • Vision
  • Hearing
  • Dental
  • Tuberculosis
  • Scoliosis
  • Height and weight
  • Blood pressure

As you can see, there are already many screenings being conducted in schools. Adding sleep screenings at the same time other screenings are being conducted wouldn’t be a hardship.

How much does a school sleep screening program cost?

Geisinger’s Wake Up and Learn is a freely available program to any interested school district in the United States.1

What would be the result of School Sleep Screenings and Sleep Education?

More kids and teens would feel happier and be recharged by getting 8-10 hours of restful sleep. A healthy sleep schedule helps teens and kids balance the physical, mental, and emotional changes they experience while growing up.  School attendance and grades would improve. Sports performance and participation would increase.

We understand that increasing school and social demands make sleep seem like the logical place to cut back on hours to create more time in the day. However, sleep shortcuts can result in decreased productivity, increased errors, and even injury. A sleep education program can help children and teens learn healthy sleep habits to help them get a good night’s sleep.

How We Help Educators

Geisinger’s Wake Up and Learn provides essential training to teachers and staff for Grades 7-12. These courses will help educators and staff learn how to spot the sleep disorder signs. Symptoms may include:

  • Falling asleep in class
  • Tardiness and/or increased absences
  • ADHD
  • Depression
  • Deteriorating grades

Should a student exhibit signs, there are established protocols to get help.

The Wake Up and Learn program also offers many cool posters, handouts, and tips to use in school! A student favorite is our collectible card series. The cards offer fun and helpful sleep tips to teens and kids. These resources help you teach healthy sleep habits so all of your students can achieve their potential. Interested in learning more about sleep? Check out the easy-to-understand sleep articles and information on our website.

Fill out this form to receive more information about our program.

    1Funding is generously provided by Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Together, we can increase awareness about adolescent sleep disorders, as well as advocate for proper treatment.