California Safe and Supportive Schools

Family Guide to Supporting Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being

Family Engagement

Family Guide to Supporting Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being

by

Project Cal-Well, a cross-agency mental health initiative led by the California Department of Education, produced this easy-to-use guide with input from families, educators, mental health professionals, and youth. The guide helps parents and other adult family members and caregivers navigate supporting the overall well-being and mental health of school-aged children, including tips for what can be difficult conversations. It offers information about the social and emotional development of young people and explains warning signs that may signal mental health challenges. It equips caregivers with targeted strategies, tools, and resources that help them advocate for their family, address each child’s specific needs, and access professional help.

Key topics and tips include:

  • example conversation starters to help open lines of communication with children and teens;
  • enjoyable ways to connect, develop wellness routines, and create well-being practices as a family;
  • information addressing mental health myths, including the specific needs and increased challenges facing young people who identify as LGBTQ+;
  • information on how to recognize signs that a child is bullying or being bullied;
  • tools to create a family media plan that sets boundaries around technology and gives children the skills to be online safely using age-appropriate platforms; and
  • tips for partnering with schools to access mental health and family wellness resources and supports.

Share this guide with families in your district! We recommend providing this guide alongside referrals to local resources to support your community. The Family Guide to Supporting Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being can be shared with this one-page handout containing a QR code for a digital copy of the guide and online resources.  

Making Data Meaningful in Educator-to-Family Communication

by

Schools collect vast amounts of data about students—the sources range from attendance records, classroom activities, and standardized assessment scores to homework completion, behavior, and local school climate surveys. School leaders and educators are becoming increasingly skilled in sharing and using data to make important decisions about programs, interventions, resources, and policies.

This document describes strategies for sharing data and engaging in data-driven discussions with families to improve student and school outcomes. It includes tips for considering how to invite families into data conversations, effectively engaging with families around student and school data, and determining which data to share with families. A vignette from Azusa Unified School District in California illustrates how collaborating with families to make data-informed decisions can build trust and draw on community assets to improve school outcomes.

Family Engagement

by

Family engagement is a fundamental element of any school improvement effort. The term describes behaviors and practices that can be supported in the school environment, such as:

  • Parent/guardian-child and parent/guardian-teacher communication practices
  • Parent/guardian roles and responsibilities in the home
  • Parent/guardian roles and responsibilities at school

This What Works Brief provides research-based strategies for schools to improve family engagement through thoughtful planning, mentoring, encouraging open communication, modeling high expectations, and more.

Developed through the California Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) Grant, What Works Briefs summarize best practices, strategies, and programs for improving school climate. Based on research and grounded in experience, each brief provides practical recommendations for school staff, families, and community members. They are organized into three sections:

  • Quick Wins: What Teachers and Adults Can Do Right Now
  • Universal Supports: Schoolwide Policies, Practices, and Programs
  • Targeted Supports: Intensive Supports for At-Risk Youth