In response to the growing concerns of the well-being of students, Capistrano Unified launched a new program, titled “CUSD Cares”.
“It’s been an evolution of intentionality since the pandemic, since that time we’ve been looking to support well being. The covid-19 pandemic was global, so we created this umbrella campaign which spread across the district,” said Omero Corral, the Capistrano Unified Coordinator of Counseling and Student Support.
In recent years, CUSD detected a decrease in the mental health and well-being of students.
For example, the National Alliance on Mental Illness has determined that around 1 in 5 people were diagnosed with mental health illnesses in 2021. This alarming spike has called attention towards slowing that rate or possibly decreasing the rate of those with mental health concerns.
Consequently, the district decided to launch a program that focuses on three core values: connection, community, and celebration.
“Not only can we hyperfocus on students, but we are aware that students can be impacted by both teachers and parents as well,” said Corral.
The program is designed to hone in on the connectivity of students to the school community as well as focus on celebrating positive aspects of students’ lives on a regular basis.
The layout of this program first categorizes students based on three tiers.
The first tier administers universal support and instruction schoolwide with an emphasis on connection, community, and celebration. The school plans to do this with integrating well-being practices within instruction with focuses on positive behavior and student well-being.
“We’re placing a bigger emphasis on intentional support with different partnerships and making sure that all staff and community are aware of being able to access multiple resources and support,” said Corral.
Such activities include weekly check ins, campaigns emphasizing belonging, and activities boosting student spirit.
The second tier of the program focuses on a smaller group of students, who are at possible risk of developing more serious challenges. The district plans to create targeted support for these students in an effort to prevent the challenges from developing.
Some examples of tier two support include group counseling, in-person support, and behavior strategy implementations.
Finally, the third tier offers individual support for students who aren’t responsive to the first two tiers, applying “wraparound planning.” Wraparound planning allows for the district to help families toward gearing their children toward positive results using a strength based approach.
“Sometimes counselors are only in the counselor world and district office staff is only in the district office world, which cannot always communicate resources. With CUSD Cares, we can make sure all departments are aware of the availability of resources,” said Corral.
Tier three support may include one-on-one counseling, home visits, and interactions with the district support team, which involves counselors, psychologists, administration members, and district staff.
On May 2nd, CUSD hosted an exhibition at Kinoshita Elementary School from 4-7pm. The event offered information regarding the Cares program as well as the resources available to students.
Many other health, nutrition, and drug-addiction centered booths partnering with CUSD were present, including the Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley, CUSD Tobacco Use Prevention Education, and CUSD Food and Nutrition.
“With the exhibition event, multiple organizations will be talking about mental health, healthy eating habits, and drugs. It is nice to be aware of different resources and organizations that can be accessed by the counselor which can be directed to the student for their specific needs,” said Corral.
For more information regarding the CUSD Cares exhibition, visit the CUSD Insider page.
