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This issue brief shares a model about a collaboration between Nevada Department of Health and Human Services and Boys and Girls Club (BCG) to pilot behavioral and mental health services for youth in grades 1-12 participating in 13 out-of-school programs. This model used initial SAMSHA funding to bring 2 counselors as well as graduate practicum students into the BGC to provide social-emotional learning, behavioral, and mental health services and to train staff on trauma-informed care, suicide, substance abuse response, and how to make referrals. These supports will be sustained as they fast-tracked the process of Medicaid credentialing. This resource supports equity.
The report includes a rationale for addressing thriving, equity, and development together; exploration of a way to create more powerful definitions to drive systems change efforts; and a deep dive into the dimensions that contribute to individual and collective thriving. To help easily access the key concepts, there is a companion series of briefs including a summary, synthesis of research findings, and expanded definitions of thriving, equity, and learning and development that are clear, actionable, research based, and change focused.
This resource provides a review of tools that programs can use to measure youth outcomes. The outcomes selected include communication, relationships and collaboration, critical thinking and decision-making, initiative, and self-direction. The review includes cost and evidence of reliability and validity.
This executive summary reports on a three-year study of Youth Program Quality Improvement in 87 sites in four states that included quality assessment, improvement plans, coaching by managers, and staff training. The approach led to higher quality instructions across programs even where there was manager turnover, low staff education, and varying adult-youth ratios.