The Problem.
U.S. children and adolescents are experiencing a generational epidemic of mental health and trauma challenges unlike we’ve seen before, further exacerbated and revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Illinois passed new legislation seeking to define, track, and mitigate these challenges in Illinois on behalf of students and families.
The Partner.
The Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie Children’s Hospital is dedicated to promoting access to high-quality mental health services for children and adolescents across Illinois and nationwide. CCR builds skills of adults in schools and youth-serving agencies to foster resiliency for students in the face of adversity. CCR collaborates with policy makers and communities to promote system change to reduce health disparities and promote mental health and wellness where kids live, learn, and play!
The Parliament.
Over 12 months Parliament, working with CCR, the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Department of Public Health, more than 200 experts in mental health, trauma, and social-emotional learning, and engaged hundreds of parents and students to understand the challenges at hand and map a course of action.
The result? The creation of a first-of-its-kind statewide data-driven indicator—The Resilient Schools Certification—to track and display levels of student access to mental health, SEL, and trauma-responsive support in all school districts in Illinois. Going forward, state leaders will have an accurate understanding of both the problem and progress in our schools and communities.
Now going forward, Illinois will have the data it needs to lead to better understanding and decision-making by school leaders, nonprofits, and state officials.
See what happens when people at every level of education use data to make better decisions about financial resources, supports and direct services for Illinois children. Let’s talk.
