Learn About Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH)

A statewide, evidence-based initiative providing educators with tools to support their students’ mental health.

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What is REACH?

Through Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH), schools work to address topics like social-emotional learning, trauma-responsive educational approaches, student mental health, staff well-being, cultural responsiveness, and racism and equity. 

REACH supports school districts and schools throughout Illinois to better understand and address the needs of the whole child through the creation of healthy learning environments that protect, support and heal. These learning environments ensure optimal levels of academic success for students and staff. 

REACH is a partnership led by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago’s Center for Childhood Resilience and Illinois State Board of Education’s Learning Renewal program in partnership with regional SEL Hubs, Partnership for Resilience, and Stress & Trauma Treatment Center.

To find out how your schools or district can get involved, contact REACH@luriechildrens.org. Visit ISBE’s website to find out which SEL Hub works with your school or district. Social-Emotional Learning Hubs (isbe.net)

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The REACH Statewide Initiative offers schools an evidence-informed process using national best practices with a specific focus on creating trauma-responsive schools and healing-centered schools. REACH supports school districts and schools throughout Illinois to better understand and address the needs of the whole child through the creation of healthy learning environments that protect, support, and heal. These learning environments ensure optimal levels of academic success for students and staff. 

REACH partners with the 6 SEL Hubs across the State, including Chicago Public Schools, and gives schools and districts the opportunity to partner with a coach to help them through the process of completing a Trauma-Responsive Schools Implementation ASsessment (TRS-IA) and developing and implementing a data-driven action plan to move this important work forward.

School- or District-Level REACH Teams

As part of this initiative, participating school districts and schools form school-level REACH teams comprised of the following key persons:

  • School administrator 
  • Teacher 
  • Mental health professional 
  • Parent or caregiver 
  • Community partner

REACH team activities include:

  • Participation in professional learning collaboratives 
  • Completion of a trauma-responsive schools needs assessment
  • Development of a trauma-responsive school action plan with coaching support to implement the plan 

REACH Has Five Steps for Schools

About REACH

The REACH Statewide Initiative offers schools an evidence-informed process using national best practices with a specific focus on creating trauma-responsive schools. Using self-reported data and assessments, school teams review current policies and practices, develop strategic plans, and participate in communities of practice to support their ability to create a healing-centered school environment. REACH programming is a model for Illinois’ other agencies as they seek to become more trauma-responsive and healing centered.

Communities of Practice

A REACH Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of school community members from across the state who share a common interest in a topic related to trauma-responsive practices in schools, and who come together regularly to fulfill individual and group goals related to trauma-responsive practices. In these small group, cross-district/school communities, participants share ideas, challenges and successes and engage in meaningful collaboration.  CoP facilitators support members to translate knowledge and insights gained through their participation into concrete trauma responsive and healing centered policies and practices (e.g., discipline policies or school-wide organizational self-care).  

Questions about REACH?  Does your school want to become a REACH school? Contact REACH@luriechildrens.org

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