Too few children in California have access to mental health care services. For school-aged children, locating services at school is effective and efficient: school-based health systems meet students where they are, eliminate transportation barriers, and improve both health and education outcomes. Yet few schools in the state are fully equipped to…

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) spent over two decades researching the importance of social and learning (SEL). CASEL's (2020b) research revealed that the implementation of evidence-based SEL programs led to an 11% gain in student achievement, fewer behavior issues, reduced dropout rates, and decreases in mental…

Public schools can be a relatively desirable location for efficient and widespread distribution of physical and mental health services to children. However, California provides fewer physical and mental health services in schools than almost any other state. This brief summarizes "Investments in Student Health and Mental Health in…

The COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of schools shone a spotlight on the issue of student mental health. Rates of depression and anxiety among youth skyrocketed, resulting in an increase in emergency room visits related to youth mental health. While children and youth were reporting the need for behavioral health supports prior to the pandemic,…

This report presents results of a 50-state policy survey conducted by the National Center for Children in Poverty, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy Center for Children and Families, and Johnson Policy Consulting. The survey asked state Medicaid agency leaders about Medicaid policies related to screenings and services designed…

The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study will be to explore the relationship between stressors and mental health, the impact mental health has on grade point average (GPA), and determine if stressors and mental health moderate GPA for doctoral students during a pandemic. There is evidence that stress impacts mental health and school…

Introduction: The investigation of school belonging is crucial due to its established significant associations with mental health, academic achievement, and risky behaviours coupled with the limited research documenting the configurations of children's school belonging experiences. Objective: This study sought to better understand elementary…

A statewide coalition of nearly 50 experts -- including doctors, medical and environmental health researchers, educators, youth and community groups -- worked together to explore the challenges of climate change from the perspective of children's health and education. The insights and recommendations are published in this report. It is presented…

After 25 years, because of a change in state law California returned the responsibility for providing mental health related services to students receiving special education from county mental health departments to local education agencies. The study is secondary analysis of survey data that focuses on understanding how the change affected the…

Universal screening for mental health in preschools provides the opportunity for early identification and early intervention, but guidance regarding which informants to use is needed. Preschoolers' (N = 535) parent and teacher reports across two screening forms were analyzed to determine similarities and discrepancies for classification results…

Over half of the children between the ages of 1 and 5 in California are classified as dual language learners (DLLs), with most identified as Latinx and from Spanish-speaking backgrounds. Latinx students are consistently under-identified and undertreated for mental health services, necessitating a change in service delivery that begins with…

This study explored the role of occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) in school-based practice addressing mental health (MH) needs of all students. A sequential explanatory mixed method design which included two stages. Stage One: 61 OTPs in Southern California completed an online survey. Stage Two: 15 OTPs engaged in either an interview or a…

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a mandatory shift from in-person instruction to online learning for many young children. Teachers needed to adjust to virtual teaching, children were isolated from their peers, and parents played a bigger role in learning during the pandemic. In 2021, the shift back to in-person learning occurred. Research has…

Background: Low-income and racial/ethnic minority students often face distinct challenges in attending school leading to lower academic performance, low graduation rates, and overall, an indicator of diminished long-term social and financial stability. Chronic absenteeism is a national problem and to address this, a better understanding of risks…

Amid fires, wildfire smoke, extreme heat, and other climate-driven disasters and health hazards, California's leading experts in children's health and education have come together to call for a cost-effective, ten year $150 billion investment to ensure K-12 public schools can remain open and provide safe and healthy places for California's…