Resources for Teachers and Coaches

Districts with a strong MTSS in place prioritize data-based decision-making and problem-solving to more efficiently connect students with appropriate tiers of support. Mental health awareness remains an important first step to boosting the well-being of a student population. The National Center for Education Statistics still reports a significant decline in K–12 student mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve compiled resources and information to help education professionals in San Diego County better serve their students and families. The District recognizes the importance of physical education classes in providing students with meaningful opportunities for physical exercise and development.

Implementation Support

The goal of such a program is to develop and deliver an organized, sequential plan for teaching all students the necessary life skills that promote health and wellness. As ‘observational’ learning is a powerful and influential form of learning, all teachers share professional responsibility for portraying personal behaviors that mirror and reinforce positive health and wellness behaviors for students. Also, all teachers are constantly on display in front of their students and have a unique opportunity to role model positive health and wellness behaviors. All teachers need to ensure that students acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will lead to positive health and wellness lifestyles.

Health SkillsTeaching Toolkit

Wellness policies can also address policies and practices before, during, and after school. If you need to speak with someone immediately call or text The Lifeline at 988. Amplifying the student voice through a free annual event, monthly workshops, and student rep program. “In our district in San Diego Unified, wellness is our number one priority, our number one goal.

Teach health literacy

• During times of social-emotional strife, district leaders must not only create a culture of awareness but a culture of repair, to support student mental health.
• All classroom teachers, and particularly those engaged in the instruction of K through 5 students, are strongly encouraged to incorporate into the school day short breaks for students that include physical activity, especially after long periods of inactivity.
• These programs teach students essential life skills such as empathy, emotional regulation, and responsible decision-making.

The District will offer opportunities for all students to participate in physical activity before and/or after the school day through various methods, such as physical activity clubs, intramurals, and interscholastic sports. This requirement will not apply on days where students arrive late, leave early, or are otherwise on campus for less than a full day. All classroom teachers, and particularly those engaged in the instruction of K through 5 students, are strongly encouraged to incorporate into the school day short breaks for students that include physical activity, especially after long periods of inactivity. All foods and beverages marketed or promoted to students gambling on the school campus during the school day will meet, at a minimum, the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards. The District is committed to ensuring that all foods and beverages available to students support healthy eating.

Happify is your destination for effective solutions to better mental health based on real evidence, developed by scientists and experts. As SBHCs expand and move toward interconnected systems of care, further research is needed to study these systems’ effects on children’s health, mental health, and academic achievement. Second, although a broad set of service providers were interviewed, it was beyond the scope of this study to include parents and students. This District should continue to empower community members to be involved in Wellness Center quality improvement efforts, to help identify solutions that matter most to students and community members. As most youth served by SBHCs in the U.S. are ethnic minority and low-income students (20), engagement strategies such as those employed by the Wellness Centers (e.g., student and parent participation on advisory boards and committees) may prove especially useful in reducing access barriers. We found sociocultural factors and mental health stigma to be especially relevant to the communities served by these Wellness Centers.