Mental Health America has been supporting mental health since creating Mental Health Month in 1949. This year’s theme is Where to Start: Mental Health in a Changing World, and they have created a free toolkit full of resources you can use to educate, support, and advocate for mental health in your community. The chaos of … Continue reading May is Mental Health Month
Plant-Based School Meals Have Arrived—Here’s How to Make the Most of Them
Today’s guest post comes from Madeline Bennett, MS, the Food System and Nutrition Policy Analyst at Balanced, which is part of the Plant-Based School Lunch Collaborative. She advocates at the federal level for regulatory and legislative initiatives that improve school nutrition for all. Today, she shares how families can access plant-based school meals made available … Continue reading Plant-Based School Meals Have Arrived—Here’s How to Make the Most of Them
New Report on Gun Death in Illinois
In 2021, Illinois PTA Convention delegates adopted a resolution on safe gun storage. Since then, we have advocated for safe gun storage laws in Illinois and educated members on firearms issues. A new report by One Aim Illinois called Gun Death in Illinois looks at the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) … Continue reading New Report on Gun Death in Illinois
Selfies, Social, and Screens: Navigating Virtual Spaces for Youth
Today’s guest post comes from Mental Health America and discusses their latest Back-to-School toolkit focused on social media, online activities, and their affect on children’s mental health. In the toolkit, you will find posters you can share with your PTA members or post at school, graphics and sample social media posts, and information and fact … Continue reading Selfies, Social, and Screens: Navigating Virtual Spaces for Youth
National PTA Survey Shows Increasing Concern Over Violence and Bullying
Today’s guest post is from National PTA, focusing on the results of a national survey of parents’ concerns during the 2022-2023 school year. It is the sixth survey by National PTA that has documented how families have experienced the pandemic with respect to their children’s schools and the third survey this school year on parent … Continue reading National PTA Survey Shows Increasing Concern Over Violence and Bullying
Social Media and Youth Mental Health
The US Surgeon General recently released an advisory on social media and youth mental health. The advisory notes that while almost all of those ages 13-17 use social media and it does provide some benefits to children and adolescents, it also presents a meaningful risk to them as well. The advisory also notes that the … Continue reading Social Media and Youth Mental Health
Advocacy, Legislation, and Results: Lead in School Drinking Water
Illinois PTA has a long history of advocacy success, and one of the biggest successes in recent years—testing school drinking water for lead—just had a follow-up article in the Chicago Tribune (Note: The Tribune has lowered its paywall for this article) along with a tool to see the results of your school district’s lead testing. … Continue reading Advocacy, Legislation, and Results: Lead in School Drinking Water
National PTA Survey Highlights Parents’ Concerns on Gun Violence and Mental Health
Today’s guest post is from National PTA, focusing on the results of a national survey of parents’ concerns during the 2022-2023 school year. It is the fourth survey by National PTA that has documented how families have experienced the pandemic with respect to their children’s schools. National PTA released the results of a national survey … Continue reading National PTA Survey Highlights Parents’ Concerns on Gun Violence and Mental Health
Get Ready for Mental Health Month 2023
May is Mental Health Month, and once again the folks at Mental Health America have created a free Mental Health Month Toolkit that your PTA can use to raise awareness of mental health issues. This year’s toolkit, called Look Around, Look Within, is focused on how our surroundings affect our mental health. Topics addressed include … Continue reading Get Ready for Mental Health Month 2023
Social Media and Teen Brains
Last week, Mitch Prinstein, the chief science officer at the American Psychological Association (APA), testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the role that social media plays in children’s mental health. His 22-page testimony is incredibly informative, and National Public Radio (NPR) has ten key points that families should know. Read the full article for … Continue reading Social Media and Teen Brains
An SEL Primer for PTAs
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has been in the news a lot the past year, often criticized alongside Critical Race Theory (CRT). And like CRT, SEL is often misrepresented by those critics in terms of what it actually is. Should SEL become an issue in your school district’s school board elections in the spring, here is … Continue reading An SEL Primer for PTAs
Back-to-School Mental Health Toolkit
Today’s guest post is from Mental Health America, highlighting their new Back-to-School toolkit for children’s mental health. The toolkit contains fact sheets and social media items that your PTA can use to educate families and youth on children’s mental health issues. By now, most of us have read or seen stories on the youth mental … Continue reading Back-to-School Mental Health Toolkit
Resources for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and Illinois PTA has highlighted Safe2Help Illinois when it was first announced in 2020 and covered the new 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline (an alternative to the 800 number) in our Weekend Update newsletter. As part of its efforts for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, the Child Mind Institute is sharing … Continue reading Resources for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
Spring 2022 Legislative Successes
This being an election year, the Illinois General Assembly wrapped up their spring session in early April rather than at the end of May. Since the governor is required to take action on bills within 60 days of them being sent for signing, the fate of only a handful of bills remain uncertain. Here are … Continue reading Spring 2022 Legislative Successes
PTA Addresses Food Insecurity and Hunger
According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), 37.2 million people in the US lived in food-insecure households in 2018. The pandemic has served to highlight how many families are struggling with food insecurity and hunger. In 2020, National PTA created a four-part webinar series designed to engage PTAs and families on food insecurity and … Continue reading PTA Addresses Food Insecurity and Hunger
May is Mental Health Month
The pandemic has brought many challenges to our lives, and mental health is one such challenge that has become a more common topic of conversation the longer the pandemic has dragged on. This year for Mental Health Month, Mental Health America is going Back to Basics with their 2022 Mental Health Month Toolkit, available in … Continue reading May is Mental Health Month
Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids
The pandemic has put a strain on everyone’s mental health. The Child Mind Institute has partnered with the state of California to create The California Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids Project, a free video series available in both English and Spanish aimed at parents, educators, and students to help promote children’s emotional health and to teach … Continue reading Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids
Programs for Healthy Kids
Illinois PTA has long been a fan of Action for Healthy Kids, and recently, they updated their website and resources, including translating many of the resources into Spanish. If your PTA is looking for program ideas, the updated website has plenty for you. The resources are now split into three areas: NourishEd (hunger and nutrition)EnergizEd … Continue reading Programs for Healthy Kids
Creating a Family Self-Care Plan
The pandemic has highlighted the need for all of us to prioritize our health—both physical and mental. Our friends at Action for Healthy Kids have created a resource to help your family create a self-care plan (En español). While self-care is something one does on one’s own, having your family work together to create a … Continue reading Creating a Family Self-Care Plan
Bullying Prevention Resources for Your PTA
The recent suicide of a 10-year-old autistic black student in Utah, along with reports that school officials did not act when alerted to the repeated bullying the child endured, has brought bullying back into the spotlight. If your PTA is interested in hosting a bullying prevention event or looking for materials to share with families, … Continue reading Bullying Prevention Resources for Your PTA
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