Through Project Cal-Well, the California Department of Education and the University of California, San Francisco review and analyze data collected from the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) to identify mental health needs of students and barriers to service provision. This brief describes data from the CHKS Core & Mental Health Supports modules on the mental health needs of elementary students during the 2021-22 school year.
Project Cal-Well
Youth Mental Health and Supports: 2022 Secondary Students Perspective
Through Project Cal-Well, the California Department of Education and the University of California, San Francisco review and analyze data collected from the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) to identify mental health needs of students and barriers to service provision. This brief describes data from the CHKS Core & Mental Health Supports modules on the mental health needs of secondary students during the 2021-22 school year.
Universal Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Considerations for Practice
This practical guide from Project Cal-Well summarizes key considerations and includes recommendations for schools and districts implementing social, emotional, and behavioral screening during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Two partnering Project Cal-Well districts share examples of how they have gathered data to identify the behavioral and mental health support needs of their students.
Medi-Cal 101 for School and District Leaders: Financing School Mental Health Using Medi-Cal
This webinar provided an overview of what school and district leaders need to know about Medi-Cal and discussed different models, examples, and action steps of how districts in California can integrate Medi-Cal funded mental health services into school settings. Presenters shared implementation challenges and lessons learned. Click on the video link above to watch the recording, and the links below to access additional resources.
The webinar was hosted in partnership between the California Department of Education, Department of Health Care Services, California Children’s Trust, and WestEd and was supported by Project Cal-Well.
Supporting Students’ Social and Emotional Connectedness During Remote Learning
This practical guide from Project Cal-Well focuses on flexible and feasible approaches to supporting social and emotional connectedness during remote learning. It provides information and resources about easy to implement strategies for educators, students, and families to stay connected and foster a sense of community within a virtual classroom. The guide includes strategies for educators to:
- Promote students’ feelings of being welcomed as part of a community
- Foster peer-to-peer connections and relationships through classroom activities and independent assignments
- Regularly check in with students about their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing
- Demonstrate flexibility, understanding, and willingness to communicate with students and their families
Practical Guide for Financing Social, Emotional, and Mental Health in Schools
The California Children’s Trust and Breaking Barriers have developed this guide for education leaders on partnering and accessing Medi-Cal (i.e., Medicaid) funding to support the social, emotional, and mental health needs of students. The guide provides:
- An overview of what school leaders need to know about Medi-Cal
- Five different models with examples of how California districts integrate Medi-Cal-funded mental health services into school settings
- Five actions school district leaders can take now to access and reinvest Medi-Cal funding to support the needs of students
- Step-by-step guidance on how to integrate Medi-Cal into a coordinated system of supports
- Additional resources on accessing MediCal to expand billable mental health services for students
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