The pandemic has brought discussions of mental health to the forefront, but many families may be struggling with how to prioritize mental health for themselves and their children. National PTA, in cooperation with GoGuardian, Pear Deck, and the Allstate Foundation, has launched Healthy Minds, an ongoing collection of information and resources for PTAs and families regarding mental health.

When people think about mental health, they often only think about mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression. However, mental illness is just one part of mental health. As Mental Health America explains, “While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health.”

The Healthy Minds initiative includes a one-page overview in English and Spanish, as well as a shareable resource on what families can do to prioritize mental health (also in Spanish). There are also resources available on specific topics such as:

  • Social Emotional Learning
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Loneliness & Isolation

Going forward, National PTA will be publishing resources for PTAs to host Healthy Minds programming this fall. Until then, there are two webinars available on the Healthy Minds page with transcripts available in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. A sidebar item highlights episodes of Notes from the Backpack podcast that focus on mental health (episodes 40-44).

As many families have struggled with mental health over the past year, share the Healthy Minds resources with your members and check back as the new school year begins for resources you can use to host a Healthy Minds event this fall.