Children in rural settings are less likely to receive mental health services than their urban and suburban counterparts and even less likely to receive evidence-based care. Rural schools could address the need for mental health interventions by using evidence-based practices within a tiered system of supports such as positive behavioral…

Background: We present results of the development and feasibility testing of CATCH Healthy Smiles, a school-based oral health program, among children in grades K-2 in Houston, Texas. Methods: Study design was cross-sectional (N = 2 schools; N = 125 parent-child dyads; 31 kindergarteners, 42 first graders, and 52 second graders). CATCH Healthy…

Anyone who works in a school setting keenly feels the impact of COVID-19 on youth and families. They can remember the exhaustion and dysfunction that rippled out during the pandemic, and they can still see it today. The School Behavioral Health Academy (SBHA) responded to the youth mental health crisis by creating an online learning management…

In the fall of 2021, Redwood City School District (RCSD) placed a full-time, district-employed mental health counselor in each of its twelve schools in order to bolster district capacity to support student mental health and wellbeing. Stanford's John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities (Gardner Center) conducted a Year 1…

Multitiered systems of support (MTSS) is an effective model for identifying students at risk for academic failure as well as behavioral concerns (excesses and deficits) that impede classroom success. Over the years, researchers have investigated the positive effects of the MTSS model on behavioral needs of students; however, to date the research…

There is growing national and international concern about the mental health of children and young people, and in countries such as England there is now a political and policy commitment to developing whole-school approaches to mental health. This paper presents new evidence on how pupils' mental health is being addressed in schools using learning…

Objective: To describe the process of developing a Health Qigong programme for stressed children using a formative evaluation approach. Methods: A multi-step formative evaluation method was utilised. These steps included (1) identifying programme content and drafting the curriculum, (2) synthesising effective and age-appropriate pedagogies, (3)…

This article describes the development and growth of "Lifestyle Improvements in the Family Environment" ("L.I.F.E."), a school-based heart-health screening and intervention program. The primary goals of "L.I.F.E." through three rounds of grant funding remained constant: (a) to identify cardiovascular risk factors in…

To address asthma in the state, in October 2000, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the American Lung Association of Texas held a joint meeting of asthma professionals from across the state, with a primary purpose of identifying major issues and potential strategies and actions to be taken. These discussions became the basis…