How We’re Reaching Spanish-Speaking Families

In April of 2020, we established the Child Mind Institute en español Facebook page, a dedicated space to share resources and connect with our Spanish-speaking audience. Our clinicians began hosting Spanish-language Facebook Lives to answer questions about managing mental health during the pandemic and beyond. In less than a year, the Facebook page has gained over 59,000 followers and the Spanish-language videos have been viewed over 1.3 million times, demonstrating the significant appetite for these resources. These efforts were generously supported by Morgan Stanley.

We continue to partner with organizations that serve Spanish-speaking communities, including Common Sense Latino, Spanish-language iHeartRadio stations, Parents Magazine (Ser Padres), UnidosUS and Univision. For example, last October, the Child Mind Institute developed a series of Spanish-language public service announcements about children’s mental health, which aired during Hispanic Heritage Month and iHeartRadio’s “Fiesta Latina”.

During the current 2020-21 school year, our School and Community Programs team began offering Spanish-language Behavioral and Emotional Skills Training (BEST) for parents and Spanish-language parent talks on a variety of our most popular topics.

As part of our efforts to build our Spanish-language offerings in the long-term, early last year we created a new Spanish Editor and Outreach Manager role within the Child Mind Institute’s Communications team. In March 2020, Gabriela Bobadilla joined the Child Mind Institute and embarked on developing our outreach and engagement to Spanish-speaking populations. Gabriela is a tireless advocate for the Spanish-speaking community and has a deep understanding of the needs of Spanish-speaking children and families, bringing 25 years of experience with this population to the role.

Last year, we established the Diversity and Equity Committee, a collaborative group of peer-nominated employees from a range of staff levels and backgrounds. The committee’s purpose is to address, explore, and plan for ways we can create an open dialogue about equity and social justice internally and externally. The Committee seeks to establish a supportive and culturally competent environment where our management and employees can thrive and work toward our goal of improving the mental health of all children.

To continue to build our capacity to engage Spanish-speaking children and families with Spanish-language, culturally relevant resources and supports, we need your help. Please consider making a donation to the Child Mind Institute today.