Schools play a central and critical role in helping students build their capacity to cope with stress and life problems. research shows that the majority of students experiencing mental health challenges receive the help they need from staff in their school. This School Mental Health Readiness learning playlist equips school and district leaders, behavioral health professionals, and service providers with practical strategies to address student mental health needs. Topics include trauma-informed mental health screening, behavioral health teams, universal screening, and the Illinois School-Based Medicaid program. These courses provide actionable tools to create supportive school environments, secure funding, and promote student well-being and academic success. Intended audiences for these courses are school mental health team members and school administrators.

Resilience-Supportive Schools Illinois (RSSI) is a free and voluntary support that uses school-specific data to connect educators with evidence-informed tools and resources to improve the mental health and well-being of their school communities. RSSI is about local choice. Districts and schools can choose to participate in RSSI and if they do, schools then identify which of the four pillars to pursue based on their local needs. For more information about RSSI, click here, or email REACH@luriechildrens.org.