Breaking Down Barriers
Bringing Mental Wellness to Classrooms Nationwide
The Child Mind Institute engages kids, parents and educators at school to identify and respond to students’ mental health concerns early and effectively.
Donate today to support the Child Mind Institute’s efforts to improve the mental health of children and families through care, education and science.
When you think of the San Francisco Bay Area, what comes to mind? Perhaps it’s Silicon Valley or Stanford University.
Ravenswood City School District sits less than three miles away from Stanford and the Facebook headquarters in East Palo Alto, California. Across the district, 93% of students are from low-income families, 41% are homeless or housing insecure and 53% are English language learners.
Ravenswood City School District
Mental Health Support is “Truly Invaluable”
Since 2019, the Child Mind Institute’s School and Community Programs team has partnered with Ravenswood City School District to offer comprehensive mental health services to school communities.
“The Child Mind Institute’s School and Community Programs are filling a need in our district, particularly during the pandemic,” says Gina Sudaria, superintendent of Ravenswood City School District. “It’s been truly invaluable to expand our resources to identify kids who face traumas stemming from things like migration, violence, drug use or parents who struggle with their own mental health, then provide specialized supports to those kids.”

Combatting Common Barriers to Mental Health Support in Schools
The School and Community Programs team works with schools where mental health needs are high, resources are low, and school staff consistently report a lack of mental health training and support. To date, we’ve reached over 60,000 public school students, parents, teachers and mental health professionals with treatment, training, and resources.
“Having a mental health skill-building program made available school-wide, alongside resources to help teachers learn about the impact of trauma, is so useful,” explains Ms. Sudaria.
As remote learning continued during the 2020–21 school year, we provided all our services virtually. This school year, we’re reaching students in person during the school day. At the same time, we’re continuing to offer both in-person and remote services for educators and caregivers, to make it as convenient as possible for them to engage.

A Pathway to Improved Mental Health for California Students
This fall, the State of California announced a landmark partnership with the Child Mind Institute for the California Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids Project. This initiative builds on the School and Community Programs team’s success with partners like Ravenswood City School District and aims to address the mental health impacts and learning gaps brought on by the pandemic. Through the creation of a suite of bilingual English and Spanish-language videos and resources that will be available in January 2022, this partnership provides a blueprint to scale our work nationwide and has the potential to reach 300,000 teachers and 6 million students across California.
To Reach More Students, Educators and Caregivers, We Need Your Help
As a nonprofit, we rely on the support of individuals who share our belief that no child with a mental health or learning disorder should have to struggle alone. Donate today to support the Child Mind Institute’s efforts to improve the mental health of children and families through care, education and science.
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Our Impact
Learn more about how the Child Mind Institute is making change for communities and for individuals struggling with mental health.