News from the Field Related to Wraparound

Kinship Navigator Programs in Child Welfare

October 30, 2023

Kinship Navigator programs support the ongoing stabilization of kinship families by helping caregivers learn about and access resources that meet their evolving needs and those of the children they are raising. This report discusses the evidence for positive impacts from these programs, and envisions their future.

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Research Suggests Racism Contributes to Childhood Obesity

September 24, 2023

A large body of research connects racial discrimination to poor health outcomes, and a new study confirms these findings among children. The study found that children as young as 9 were more likely to meet the definition of obesity if they faced racism a year earlier.

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Children Participating in Sports Have Better Long-Term Mental Health

September 24, 2023

A new study that analyzed data on more than 4,200 children over an eight-year period has found children who regularly participate in sports from an early age will have better long term mental health.

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What’s the Best Way to Praise Children?

September 24, 2023

Research shows that calling kids gifted and talented isn’t the best way to praise them. Certain types of praise can inadvertently stunt a child’s performance. This blog and video describe how to praise children in a way that helps them develop a growth mindset.

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Navigating SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) with Older Youth

September 24, 2023

While many SEL programs and much of the research to date have focused on elementary school-aged children, more recent research shows that middle and high school-aged youth can also show substantial benefits from explicit opportunities for social and emotional development. This blog explores the benefits of and enabling conditions for high-quality SEL programs for young people in middle and high school.

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Better Research Needed To Solve the LGBTQ Youth Mental Health Crisis

September 24, 2023

This opinion piece from Scientific American notes that young people do not fall into neat categories of race, sexual orientation or gender identity, and argues that research into LGBTQ mental health must take a more nuanced approach.

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Training for Just a Few Teachers Could Cut Racial Discipline Gap in Half

September 24, 2023

Students of color continue to be disciplined at higher rates than their white peers for the same behaviors. A new study suggests targeted teacher supports could significantly shrink discipline gaps. About 5 percent of teachers accounted for nearly 35 percent of all discipline referrals. These teachers sent a student to the office for discipline on average once every four days, while their colleagues referred fewer than one student for discipline, on average, every other month.

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Training Marginalized Youth to Become Tomorrow’s Mental Health Care Providers

September 24, 2023

This article describes a new pilot program that gives Los Angeles high schoolers from marginalized backgrounds a chance to explore careers in mental health.

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Mental Health and Schools: Best Practices to Support Our Students

July 23, 2023

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) built upon effective, culturally and linguistically responsive interventions are the most promising strategy for achieving positive student behavioral health outcomes. This report highlights the current strengths and barriers related to promoting healthy outcomes for students living with mental health concerns, and provides actionable recommendations and strategies to ensure that all children and families have access to the services and supports they need in order to thrive.

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Foster Care’s Disruptive Impact on Sibling Relationships

July 23, 2023

This short article discusses a study from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being showing that foster youth that maintain quality sibling relationships while in foster care have lower depression symptoms.

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