Getting ready for school again! | |
Below are some resources for families and for school systems to support our children and students in having an engaging and successful school year! | | |
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“When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.”
-- Dalai Lama
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What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and
how can we support it?
SEL can help all young people and adults thrive personally and academically, develop and maintain positive relationships, become lifelong learners, and contribute to a more caring, just world.
We define social and emotional learning (SEL) as an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. Click on the links to the right to learn more.
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Connecticut Center for School Safety and Crisis Preparation | |
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The Connecticut Center for School Safety and Crisis Preparation serves as a school crisis and safety resource to schools across the entire state of Connecticut. Our monthly newsletter provides updates on school safety related training, research, resources, and meetings.
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UPLIFT
A Trauma-Informed Care training program for schools
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UPLIFT is a train-the-trainer program that is trauma-informed,
resilience-focused, and individualized to meet the unique
systemic needs of a school or district.
We are enrolling schools and districts now for the upcoming academic year, and we are building the training schedules/plans around each district/teams capacity/areas identified for growth.
To learn more about this free program, check out the flyer below.
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Supporting Student Mental Health:
Is Connecticut in Good SHAPE?
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CT Child and Health and Development Institute (CHDI) published its newest Policy Brief, Supporting Student Mental Health: Is Connecticut in Good SHAPE? to share resources and strategies for aligning statewide policies using The SHAPE System to support school mental health infrastructure and improve outcomes for districts, schools, and students.
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A Day in the Life...
Written by Danielle Verderame
April is Autism Awareness Month… April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. To many people, this marks a special day to celebrate those effected by ASD and to shed light on what Autism means. But for many of us, every day is Autism Awareness Day! A day in the life of a parent or caregiver of a child with ASD may look surprisingly similar or very strange to other parents - depending on what is going on in their lives at the moment.
In my house, we wake up, make breakfast, prepare for school and whatever else the day has in store for us. Actually, our day starts the night before, with a schedule that my son repeats over and over until he gets it just right. He likes to know exactly what his day will look like. [...]
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CT Dental Health Partnership (CTDHP)
In 2021, the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership (CTDHP) underwent a year-long effort to develop a Health Equity Plan to assess, design and develop interventions to improve the oral health equity of the HUSKY Health member population. It is at that time that Awilda Maldonado, CTDHP’S Health Equity Officer, joined the Connecting to Care CLAS Cohort for support on Health Equity Planning and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standard implementation. The knowledge and support acquired during the cohort and the use of the Connecting to Care CLAS toolkit were an integrated part to the development of CTDHP’s first Oral Heath Equity Plan and organizational CLAS assessment. At this time, CTDHP also conducted its first member survey to HUSKY Health members to learn about their experiences receiving dental services. The results from the survey were integrated in the 2021 Oral Health Equity Plan to address ways to improve member experiences and reduce oral health disparities. Since then, a third and newly released 2023 Oral Health Equity Plan and Member Survey have been published. The report outlines the disparities and intervention strategies for five population groups. Click on the links below to view the Oral Health Equity Plan and Member Survey Report, and CTDHP's CLAS/ADA guide.
If you would like to contact Awilda Maldonado, Connecticut Dental Health Partnership’s Health Equity Officer, you can do so at awilda.maldonado@ctdhp.com and 860.507.2338
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Resources - financial and informational | |
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Family Assistance &
Social Determinant Fund (FASD)
For a limited time, funding assistance is available for families that qualify, to pay for mental health and/or substance use intervention, treatment or medication for their children.
Providers must complete the funding request form and fax or email to the Family Assistance & Social Determinant Fund. For more information, check out the FASD flyer and the Request Form below.
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First Responder resource cards and posters
First responders often interact with individuals in the community, including when people are in need of connection to mental health and related resources. To support first responders, including police officers, to meet this need in the community, Connecting to Care has developed pocket size resource cards that are easy to carry and share with families. In addition, we developed resource posters to hang in offices. The wallet cards and posters include hotline information, state resources, and a website link and QR code to additional local mental/behavioral health resources. Both resource cards and posters are available in English and Spanish. Please see below for an example of the resource card.
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What's Your Plan?
Having a mental health plan helps youth when they are feeling down. Learn more:
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Don't forget...!!
Opportunities to connect, learn and have your voice heard:
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Community Collaboratives - Get involved in your local community!
Check out your local Community Collaborative which brings together providers across sectors (behavioral health, school, primary care, social services and more), families, caregivers, youth, and community members to work collaboratively to effectively use resources, identify gaps and build better systems of care. This work ensures that services meet the changing social, emotional, and behavioral needs of children, adolescents and their families.
Connecticut has 25 Community Collaboratives across the state. Find one near you!
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The Children's Behavioral Health Advisory Committee (CBHAC) meets on the first Friday of the month, from 10am-12pm. The next meeting is September 1st, 2023.
CBHAC's mission is to promote and enhance the provision of behavioral health services for all children in Connecticut. Appointed members and community guests attend monthly meetings to address these needs across the state. This committee must submit an annual report that provides recommendations concerning behavioral health service delivery.
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CBHAC is a statewide meeting and open to the public. If you are interested in attending or receiving email communications from CBHAC, please Join Our Mission.
If you would like to receive this newsletter directly to your email, you can easily sign up by clicking on the Join our Mission below.
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Your Ideas!
If you have an idea or suggestion for other topics to include in our newsletters, don’t hesitate to contact Daniela Giordano at daniela.giordano@carelon.com
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Watch the video to learn more about Connecting to Care. | | | | |
