The week of May 5th-10th is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week.  It’s easy to know your child needs help dealing with a fever or a broken bone, but mental health problems can be harder to identify. You may be surprised to learn that:

•1 in 5 children experience a diagnosable mental health disorder each year, yet only 20% are identified and receive treatment.
•1 in 9 youth aged 13-18 experience a substance use disorder, yet only 7% receive services.

Mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, behavioral and mental well-being. It impacts how we think, feel and act--including how a child FEELS about him/herself, RELATES to other children and adults, HANDLES change, stress and other life situations.

The tricky part of parenting is knowing the kinds of behaviors and moods that are usual for the stage of development your child is in – and when your child needs help.

Visit www.childrensmentalhealthmatters.org to learn:

•what to do if your child needs help,
•where to go for help, or
•how to access a wealth of free children’s mental health resources.

Our school counselors have planned a week of fun activities for students:

Mindful Monday

Try-It Tuesday

Walking Wednesday

Thursday--wear green

Sidewalk Chalk Friday