These two Bibb County schools have a solution to bad behavior: breathing and meditation

Turnaround for Children, an organization founded to address mental health issues and their repercussions in the classroom, focuses on preparing teachers and schools to structure classroom environments in a constructive way. They create opportunities for learning in rigorous ways with high expectations so that children thrive and are well cared for, helping them to thrive both academically and emotionally.

Start With Hello, an initiative from the NGO Sandy Hook Promise, gives students the opportunity to diversify who they know and interact with in a long-term effort to prevent school violence and shootings. The program, funded by public and private grants, has spread to 11,600 schools across the United States, with each school also getting training on inclusivity. While an impact evaluation hasn't been finished, early studies show that those who participate in the program respond better to mental distress.

Elementary schools in New Hampshire are implementing several programs to help build resiliency in their students and reduce the risk of suicide. One program includes introducing trauma care coordinators, while another encourages students to write letters about their concerns. Both tactics have had positive results, evident through fewer recorded cases of problematic behavioral issues.

Facing a youth mental health crisis, some schools are using digital screening tools like BIMAS-2 and DESSA to identify students needing behavioral support. Districts in Green Bay and Alexandria report positive results, but widespread adoption meets resistance due to costs, parent concerns, and limited capacity for follow-up support.

Vermont’s South Burlington fire department has started offering its firefighters yoga and meditation services as a way to cope with trauma. The services are offered by the Vermont Center for Responder Wellness, which was created as a response to the traumatic experiences many first responders face. The training includes mindfulness, breathing, stretching, and refocusing.

Studies have routinely shown that spending time outdoors is good for health, so programs are being implemented in the United States in order to increase children's access to getting outside. From California's Outdoor Outreach which aims to help low-income students to the Every Kid Outdoors Act initiated by Congress which eliminates fees for national park passes for fourth graders, these initiatives not only get kids outside, but also teach them social skills.

A middle school in New Hampshire has piloted a program that focuses on dividing the school into different wings and offering classes on "mental wellness, conflict resolution, and healthy ways to communicate" with the goal of better addressing the emotional wellbeing of students. The outcomes have been promising thus far, with students reporting improved effects on their mental health.

Colorado has one of the highest rates of suicide for both adults and children in the country. Ignoring concerns about liability issues, one school is giving high school students a mental health screening to determine how and when to best intervene to help struggling teens.

Since Ascend Charter Schools switched from the popular "No Excuses" model to a Responsive Classroom philosophy, test scores have steadily risen, suspension rates have dropped dramatically, and the racial achievement gap has all but disappeared. While traces of the former structures, such as repeated routines, still exist today, the school has also incorporated trauma-informed elements and social-emotional learning curricula.

Integrating behavioral health care with primary pediatric care helps address chronic, long-term issues. Using grant funding, Pediatric Partners of the Southwest improved its approach to health care. The introduction of screenings for social determinants of health allows pediatricians to direct families to the proper resources.