Woodland CCSD 50 receives $1.4M federal grant to establish student wellness framework

Wildcat wellness 26-31: building lasting, integrated student support through an interconnected systems framework - woodland consolidated school district #50 will implement wildcat wellness, a five-year districtwide interconnected systems framework integrating school and community mental health across northern lake county, Illinois. The project will serve approximately 4,526 students ages 3–14 each year and an estimated 7,000 unique students over five years. Building on positive behavioral interventions and supports, wildcat wellness will provide tier 1 promotion and prevention through youth mental health first aid, question-persuade-refer, standup suicide-awareness lessons, and family engagement; universal social, emotional, and behavioral screening; and tier 2 and tier 3 supports through embedded community clinicians, 988, and mobile crisis. The project will also build district coaching, training, evaluation, financing, and policy capacity to sustain the system. Each year, 100% of enrolled students will receive tier 1 supports, at least 80% (approximately 3,621) will be screened for internalizing and externalizing risk, at least 90% of staff and partnering adults will be trained, and at least 90% of students who screen positive will be connected to tier 2 or tier 3 care. Each year, the project will achieve at least 70% implementation fidelity and reduce exclusionary discipline and chronic absenteeism from baseline.