I never tire of hearing the success stories of school-based health centers in California, some of which are recounted in this 2011 Impact Report. In 2000, California had 108 school-based health centers. Twelve years later, there are 183 with 16 scheduled to open within the next few years. Amazingly, the number of school-based health centers continues to grow despite budget cuts and the recession. It makes me think – we must be on to something! 

We have made great progress in expanding access to school-based health care, however our work is not done. There are still a large number of children whose health care needs go unmet. In California, an estimated one million children still do not have health insurance, and a growing number are living in poverty.

On a positive note, health care reform presents a tremendous opportunity to get health care to more children. But we can’t forget that many decisions about our health care system are influenced by business interests and existing bureaucracies. Without strong voices for children, there is no guarantee that our “reformed” health care system will be consumer-friendly or more successful in making services accessible for children and families

School-based health centers (SBHCs) impact students and families in profound ways. They can get immediate help on campus for acute and chronic conditions as well as preventative care. The result: kids stay in school and teachers focus on what they do best, teach. (Read more about why School-Based Health Centers Are a Great Idea).

Download our 19-20 fact sheet

We are working toward the day in which all students have access to a school-based health center.

In 2000, California had 108 SBHCs; today, there are 277 with more in the works. In the last year, nearly 10,000 children gained access to health care in their school through the expansion of SBHCs. Across California, more than 274,000 students attend a school that has a health center, and many more have access to other types of school health services.

The number of SBHCs continues to grow because school districts and communities understand that investing in healthy kids supports increased opportunities for successful students.

SBHCs are usually located directly on a school campus and provide primary care like any health clinic. Staff vary in size, and typically includes nurse practitioners, nurses, mental health providers, as well as part-time physicians and medical students. Services are provided at no or low cost. No one is refused service for inability to pay.

SBHCs are effective because they put health care where students already spend most of their time – at school. They offer:

• Enhanced access to health care by bringing it directly to where students and families are and conducting active school-based outreach to connect students with care.
• Stronger prevention and population health by connecting clinical care with public health approaches such as group and classroom education, school wide screenings and prevention programs, or efforts to address the social determinants of health.
• Intensive support for the highest need students by being present on a daily basis to manage chronic disease, address behavioral health issues, deal with crises, and help students and families access resources.
• Support for the school’s mission to improve academic achievement by working together to address absenteeism, school climate, and classroom behavior and performance.
• Integration into the health care system by communicating and coordinating care with other providers and payers.

Research has shown, and teachers and educators intuitively know, that healthier children are better students because they are able to focus in class and are not distracted by hunger, pain, stress, or a chronic illness.

Read about Nathan, Kenny and Brittany – three students whose lives have been transformed by their SBHCs.

The Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) at CHOC Children’s is an outpatient, mental health treatment program for high-school teens with moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety, depression or other symptoms related to a mental health condition.

The IOP is held four days a week, for eight weeks with after-school hours. It uses dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), including mindfulness exercises, coping and problem-solving skills, art therapy and other expressive therapies to help teens develop and practice healthy behaviors and coping strategies. The CHOC IOP is a DBT-adherent program, meaning all licensed clinicans in the program have received the highest level of training in DBT. Parents or guardians also participate in family counseling and skills groups.

 Suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10-24 in the United States. Get the warning signs and helpful resources for help. 

The CHOC Children’s Mental Health Inpatient Center is the first pediatric, inpatient mental health facility in Orange County for children 3 to 17 years old, and is designed to meet the unique needs of kids and teens. The Center has 18 private rooms, an outdoor playground, and multipurpose areas for consultation, therapy, recreation and treatment. It’s also the only inpatient psychiatric facility in California where parents can stay in the rooms with their children.

During your child’s stay, he or she will engage in daily multidisciplinary therapeutic groups and receive individual therapy, family therapy, brief psychological testing and psychiatric care. The Center includes:

The Children’s Screen Time Action Network is a coalition of practitioners, educators, and advocates working to promote a healthy childhood by reducing the amount of time kids spend with digital devices. The Network is a project of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

Many people cherish the memory of being read a story at bedtime by a parent, grandparent, or older sibling. But few know how this simple act lights up the inner workings of a child’s brain – even older children and teens! Pediatrician John Hutton and Wall Street Journal children’s book critic Meghan Gurdon explore the profound impact reading aloud can have on children’s development in this Action Network Live event.

Learn more about Dr. Hutton's research here.

Dr. John S. Hutton, MS, MD, is a pediatrician and clinical researcher in the Division of General and Community Pediatrics and Reading and Literacy Discovery Center. His unique reading background includes over 20 years at the helm of Blue Manatee Children’s Bookstore and publication of over 25 children’s books, many with health-promoting themes, including screen time reduction (Baby Unplugged), reading and talking to babies, infant calming, safe sleep, breastfeeding, and ADHD. His books have been adopted in numerous statewide public health campaigns, distributed to over 3 million families, proceeds benefiting non-profit advocacy groups. He serves as “spokes-doctor” for the Read Aloud 15 MINUTES national campaign and on the national Medical Advisory Board of the Reach Out and Read program.Dr. Hutton’s research at Cincinnati Children's covers all facets of pediatric general and health literacy. He is applying functional MRI to better understand the influence of modifiable aspects of home reading environment on brain networks supporting emergent literacy, the skills and attitudes preparing a child for reading. His work was the first to document such effects prior to kindergarten. He is also studying the effect of screen-based media on neural processing of stories in preschool-age children, particularly in terms of visual imagery and attention.As a pediatrician, Dr. Hutton is working to validate screening measures of emergent literacy skills and risk factors for primary care use, to identify children at risk as early as possible, guide interventions, and reinforce the concept of reading as a critical aspect of child health and development. He is also actively exploring the application of children’s books for a range of pediatric health literacy and advocacy topics, and recently published a randomized trial establishing superiority of one of his books compared to brochures for adherence with AAP safe sleep and reading recommendations.Dr. Hutton is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society, and has received numerous awards for his work, including an Academic Pediatric Association Young Investigator Award, an Arnold W. Strauss Fellow Award and Procter Scholar Award (Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center), and a Healthcare Heroes: Innovator Award (Cincinnati Business Courier). For his children’s books, he has received an Ohioana Cooper Award (Cincinnati/Hamilton County Public Library), a Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards Gold Medal, and a Benjamin Franklin Award Gold Medal (Independent Book Publishers Association). His bookstore was a finalist for the Women’s National Book Association Pannell Award, reflecting the best in the United States.

General and community pediatrics

Emergent literacy; shared and dialogic reading; early brain development; screening measures development and validation; health effects of screen-based media; pediatric health literacy and bibliotherapy

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

General and Community Pediatrics, General and Community Pediatrics, Reading and Literacy, Reproductive Sciences, Communication Sciences

BS: Mathematics, Davidson College, Davidson, NC.MS: Operations Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.MD: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.Residency: Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.MS: Clinical and Translational Research, Cincinnati, OH.Fellowship: National Research Service Award (NRSA), Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.Certification: Pediatrics.

Hutton, JS, Dudley J, Horowitz-Kraus T, DeWitt T, Holland SK. Differences in Functional Brain Network Connectivity During Stories Presented in Audio, Illustrated, and Animated Format in Preschool-Age Children. Brain Imaging and Behavior. 2018.Hutton JS, Huang G, Phelan KJ, DeWitt T, Ittenbach RF. Shared reading quality assessment by parental report: preliminary validation of the DialogPR. BMC Pediatr. 2018 Oct 18;18(1):330. Hutton JS, Phelan K, DeWitt T, Horowitz-Kraus T, Altaye M, Dudley J, Holland SK. Shared Reading Quality and Brain Activation During Story Listening in Preschool-Age Children. Journal of Pediatrics. 2017 Dec;191:204-211.e201.Hutton JS, Lin L, Gruber R, Berndsen J, DeWitt T, Van Ginkel JB, Ammerman R. Shared Reading and Television Across the Perinatal Period in Low-SES Households. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2017 Oct 1:9922817737077.Hutton JS, Gupta R, Gruber R, Berndsen J, DeWitt T, Ollberding NJ, et al. A Randomized Trial of a Children's Book Versus Brochures for Safe Sleep Knowledge and Adherence in a High-Risk Population. Acad Pediatr. 2017 Nov - Dec;17(8):879-886. Horowitz-Kraus T, Hutton JS. Brain connectivity in children is increased by the time they spend reading books and decreased by the length of exposure to screen-based media. Acta Paediatrica: Nurturing the Child. 2018.Hutton JS, Phelan K, Horowitz-Kraus T, Dudley J, Altaye M, DeWitt T, Holland, SK. Story Time Turbocharger? Child Engagement During Shared Reading and Cerebellar Activation and Connectivity in Preschool-Age Children Listening to Stories. PLoS One. 2017 May 31;12(5):e0177398.Horowitz-Kraus T, Schmitz R, Hutton JS, Schumacher J. How to create a successful reader? Milestones in reading development from birth to adolescence: The contribution of language, cognition, and literacy to reading development. Acta Paediatrica: Nurturing the Child. 2017 Jan. Horowitz-Kraus T, Hutton JS. From emergent literacy to reading: how learning to read changes a child's brain. Acta Paediatr. 2015 Jul;104(7):648-56.Hutton JS, Horowitz-Kraus T, Mendelsohn AL, DeWitt T, Holland SK. Home Reading Environment and Brain Activation in Preschool Children Listening to Stories. Pediatrics. 2015 Sep;136(3):466-78.

 

 Educational theatre production reduces stigma and encourages open discussion, to help teens understand they are not alone.  

In high school, it can be hard to talk about sad or anxious feelings which may lead teens to disconnect and become a “ghost” of themselves. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 20% of youth ages 13 to 18 live with a mental health condition, with anxiety being most common and affecting nearly one-third of adolescents and adults.

Developed by Kaiser Permanente in collaboration with the Seattle Children’s Theatre, “Ghosted” is an interactive play and workshop to address mental health needs, break down stigma, and provide resources to teens and teachers. “Ghosted” is a one-hour assembly presented to high school audiences and follows the journey of 4 young people who are dealing with their own mental health challenges. One character, Syd, is clinically diagnosed with anxiety while Kayla finds herself dealing with secondary stress because she is worried about her friends. The play and open discussion at the end continue to receive positive feedback from educators and students.

Students have the opportunity to submit feedback using an anonymous survey. One student said, “Talking about depression and suicidal thoughts, that’s not something we’ve done before, like ever at school,” and another commented, “It was a very good show … I connected with a lot of the characters; it was real.”

If a child gets strep throat, it’s acceptable to take a sick day. But what about debilitating panic attacks or bouts of depression?

Kids today are bombarded with disturbing media (think school shootings, unsettling politics, and looming climate disasters) — all heady topics bound to trigger emotional reactions they aren’t equipped to navigate.

And in Oregon, where suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 34 (40% above the national average), it’s not surprising that a student-led coalition proposed House bill 2191 to allow schoolchildren 5 excused mental health days within a 3-month period — the same as illness and injury.

Parents and teachers teach kids to monitor their own physical well-being; by asking if they’re cold and need a jacket, children learn to observe their own needs. By validating mental health’s importance, Han- Chun Liang, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente, thinks this law — which went into effect July 1, 2019 — will prompt similar conversations about children’s mental well-being and boost their emotional resiliency.

“I’m hoping this will encourage parents to feel comfortable talking with their kids about stressors, coping skills, and monitoring how they’re feeling emotionally,” he says. “And the idea of having our schools in support of that is exciting.”

Dr. Liang hopes that, in classrooms, the law will provide teachers with feedback about mental health absenteeism, which is poorly documented since mental health hasn’t been a recorded reason to keep your child home. With this new data, educators can measure their classrooms’ mental wellness and take steps toward implementing universal precautions for emotional health — similar to promoting hand-washing during flu season.

“Can schools improve attendance by further supporting education around emotional well-being?” asked Dr. Liang. “Could that be teaching mindfulness at schools? Exploring meditation? Or discussing how we talk about our feelings and label our emotions — that’s a learning opportunity.”

If a child gets strep throat, it’s acceptable to take a sick day. But what about debilitating panic attacks or bouts of depression?

Kids today are bombarded with disturbing media (think school shootings, unsettling politics, and looming climate disasters) — all heady topics bound to trigger emotional reactions they aren’t equipped to navigate.

And in Oregon, where suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 34 (40% above the national average), it’s not surprising that a student-led coalition proposed House bill 2191 to allow schoolchildren 5 excused mental health days within a 3-month period — the same as illness and injury.

Parents and teachers teach kids to monitor their own physical well-being; by asking if they’re cold and need a jacket, children learn to observe their own needs. By validating mental health’s importance, Han- Chun Liang, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente, thinks this law — which went into effect July 1, 2019 — will prompt similar conversations about children’s mental well-being and boost their emotional resiliency.

“I’m hoping this will encourage parents to feel comfortable talking with their kids about stressors, coping skills, and monitoring how they’re feeling emotionally,” he says. “And the idea of having our schools in support of that is exciting.”

Dr. Liang hopes that, in classrooms, the law will provide teachers with feedback about mental health absenteeism, which is poorly documented since mental health hasn’t been a recorded reason to keep your child home. With this new data, educators can measure their classrooms’ mental wellness and take steps toward implementing universal precautions for emotional health — similar to promoting hand-washing during flu season.

“Can schools improve attendance by further supporting education around emotional well-being?” asked Dr. Liang. “Could that be teaching mindfulness at schools? Exploring meditation? Or discussing how we talk about our feelings and label our emotions — that’s a learning opportunity.”

 At Kaiser Permanente, we’re committed to health. That means not only delivering great health care but also creating communities where people can be healthy in all the places they live, learn, work, and play. This is especially important in schools, where better health boosts educational success and educational success leads to better lifelong health, employment, earning potential, and self-confidence.

  Schools are passionate about ensuring that all students succeed. They need strong partners to help them address health as part of their strategy. That’s why Kaiser Permanente created Thriving Schools, our all-in engagement to improve health for students, staff, and teachers. Our vision is that every community can count on their school as a champion for good health that enables great learning. 

Bullying is defined as any unwanted and harmful verbal, physical, psychological, sexual or social act committed by an individual or group, as well as any real or perceived threat or imbalance of power.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, bullying includes teasing, name-calling, intimidation, humiliation, taunting, spreading rumors or lies, demands for money, online harassment (known as cyberbullying), sexual harassment, physical assault, theft and destruction of property.

Those harmed by bullying may be targeted on the basis of their sex, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical appearance and/or disability.

Although bullying is widespread in schools and on campuses across the United States, it is oftentimes less visible than people imagine, and it is often underreported.

In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

• An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
• Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.
  Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

Megan Taylor Meier was born on November 6, 1992. She loved swimming, boating, fishing, dogs, rap music, and boys. But her life had not always been easy.

She was heavy and for years had tried to lose weight. She had attention deficit disorder and battled depression. Back in third grade she had talked about suicide, and ever since had seen a therapist.

But things were going exceptionally well. She had left the Fort Zumwalt School District and had just started eighth grade at a new school, Immaculate Conception, in Dardenne Prairie, MO. She was on the volleyball team, and had a new crush -- Josh Evans.

Josh was 16 years old and had contacted Megan through her MySpace page. Even though she had never met him, she begged her mother to allow her add him as a friend. For the next six weeks Megan and Josh - under Tina's watchful eye - became acquainted in the virtual world of MySpace. 

After school, Megan would rush to the computer. Megan had a lifelong struggle with weight and self-esteem, and now she finally had a boy who she thought really thought she was pretty.

And then on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006, Megan received a puzzling and disturbing message from Josh. It said: "I don't know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I've heard that you are not very nice to your friends."

Frantic, Megan shot back: "What are you talking about?" 

The following day was rainy and bleak. At school, Megan had handed out invitations to her upcoming birthday party. When she got home she asked her mother to log on to MySpace to see if Josh had responded.

Why did he suddenly think she was mean? Who had he been talking to?

Tina signed on. But she was in a hurry. She had to take her younger daughter, Allison, to the orthodontist.

Before Tina could get out the door it was clear Megan was upset. Josh still was sending troubling messages. And he apparently had shared some of Megan's messages with others.

Tina recalled telling Megan to sign off.

"I will Mom," Megan said. "Let me finish up."

Tina was pressed for time. She had to go. But once at the orthodontist's office she called Megan and asked: "Did you sign off?"

Our Public Policy team gives our volunteers the tools they need to advocate for suicide prevention at both the state and federal levels.

AFSP Advocates have won many victories at both state and federal levels, including mandatory suicide prevention programs for schools and landmark legislation like the Excellence in Mental Health Act.

Public policy priorities 

AFSP organizes advocacy days in DC and at state capitols to meet with our public officials and encourage them to support suicide prevention policies.

 https://afsp.org/our-work/advocacy/advocacy-events/ 

The Wait Until 8th pledge empowers parents to rally together to delay giving children a smartphone until at least 8th grade.  By banding together, this will decrease the pressure felt by kids and parents alike over the kids having a smartphone. 

Smartphones are distracting and potentially dangerous for children yet are widespread in elementary and middle school because of unrealistic social pressure and expectations to have one.

These devices are quickly changing childhood for children. Playing outdoors, spending time with friends, reading books and hanging out with family is happening a lot less to make room for hours of snap chatting, instagramming, and catching up on You Tube.

Parents feel powerless in this uphill battle and need community support to help delay the ever-evolving presence of the smartphone in the classroom, social arena and family dinner table. Let’s band together to wait until at least eighth grade before children are allowed to have a smartphone. 

Every major carrier makes a basic phone that just calls and texts without a data plan if you believe your child will need to get in touch with you before 8th grade. The Wait Until 8th pledge is encouraging parents to delay the smartphone. If you would like your child to have a basic phone that just calls and texts or a two-way calling watch, you still can sign the pledge! The basic phone and two-way calling watch avoid many of the distractions and dangers of the smartphone. 

Childhood is too short to waste on a smartphone. Take the pledge today! 

McKibben

Having canines in classrooms is "a real mood changer." Discover how therapy dogs are helping with everything from trauma to reading interventions to school climate.

The usually composed 8th grader, described as a "gentle giant" who stands at a towering 6"5", "was having a bad day," says school counselor Christy Bixman. His mom was dying of cancer and his girlfriend had just broken up with him.

Unable to cope, he punched a locker and screamed at his teacher. Bixman, who brings a therapy dog to Van Devender Middle School in Parkersburg, West Virginia, intervened. "The second he saw the dog, he started sobbing," she recalls. He wrapped his arms around Winston, the black lab mix, and hugged him and cried.

"I gave him a couple of minutes before I asked any questions," says Bixman. But once he got himself together, "he opened up and sang like a canary."

"When we got done talking, he looked at me, exhaled, and said, 'I'm so happy we've got the dogs here.'"

Bixman is happy to have Winston and her other dog, a golden retriever named Amelia, at school, too. She's one of many educators using therapy dogs to provide students with cognitive, physiological, and social and emotional support. The practice of using canine assistants in schools for mental health is becoming more widespread, says Matia Finn-Stevenson, a research scientist at Yale University. Having man's best friend around is also boosting morale for students and staff alike.

When educators think of therapy dogs, they generally think of "visiting dogs" that come to school once a week with their handlers (owners) for reading interventions in the library or for brief visits with kids, says Finn-Stevenson.

Sarah McKibben

Having canines in classrooms is "a real mood changer." Discover how therapy dogs are helping with everything from trauma to reading interventions to school climate.

The usually composed 8th grader, described as a "gentle giant" who stands at a towering 6"5", "was having a bad day," says school counselor Christy Bixman. His mom was dying of cancer and his girlfriend had just broken up with him.

Unable to cope, he punched a locker and screamed at his teacher. Bixman, who brings a therapy dog to Van Devender Middle School in Parkersburg, West Virginia, intervened. "The second he saw the dog, he started sobbing," she recalls. He wrapped his arms around Winston, the black lab mix, and hugged him and cried.

"I gave him a couple of minutes before I asked any questions," says Bixman. But once he got himself together, "he opened up and sang like a canary."

"When we got done talking, he looked at me, exhaled, and said, 'I'm so happy we've got the dogs here.'"

For many at-risk youth in New York City, violence and crime is an inescapable fact of life.

But Audrey Hendler is hoping to change that, with the help of about 25 four-legged teaching assistants.

In 2010, Hendler launched A Fair Shake for Youth, a program that brings therapy dogs into middle schools in under-served communities of New York City to teach children empathy and responsibility and help prevent bullying.

Hendler, a certified dog trainer and Canine Good Citizen evaluator, previously worked with Puppies Behind Bars, through which inmates in maximum- and minimum-security prisons helped socialize future working K-9s and service dogs for wounded war veterans. 

“I was blown away by the impact the dogs had on the inmates,” Hendler says, adding that she saw the prisoners gain self-esteem and compassion. “But I wondered, ‘Why are we waiting until people are grown up and in trouble for dogs to have this effect on them?”

She gave up her marketing consulting business to start the program, which has since grown to be in 10 schools and community organizations in Manhattan, South Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. Hendler found that middle school reached kids in the sweet spot of being old enough to understand important information about dogs but also young enough to be open to bonding with dogs and their handlers. “Having an adult tell them they’ll be back next week and then showing up is a big deal to these kids,” explains Hendler. “Adults aren’t always a consistent part of their life.”

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found signs of an apparent connection between bullying, being bullied and suicide in children, according to a new review of studies from 13 countries published in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health. 

“While there is no definitive evidence that bullying makes kids more likely to kill themselves, now that we see there’s a likely association, we can act on it and try to prevent it,” said review lead author Young-Shin Kim, M.D., assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine’s Child Study Center.

In the review, Kim and colleague Bennett Leventhal, M.D., analyzed 37 studies that examined bullying and suicide among children and adolescents. The studies took place in the United States, Canada, several European countries (including the United Kingdom and Germany), South Korea, Japan and South Africa.

Almost all of the studies found connections between being bullied and suicidal thoughts among children. Five reported that bullying victims were two to nine times more likely to report suicidal thoughts than other children were.

Not just the victims were in danger: “The perpetrators who are the bullies also have an increased risk for suicidal behaviors,” Kim said.

the biggest, most intimidating kid at school with the strongest fists and most aggressive personality is no longer the stereotypical school yard bully. In fact, today’s bullies don’t steal lunch money; rather they ruin reputations and create hurtful rumors using the internet and social media.

However, the negative effects of victimization from a bully are still the same—with kids resorting to depression, social withdrawal, physical injury, addiction, self-harm, and even suicide.Here are ten signs to watch out for if you think your child may be the victim of bullying…

 Online bullying is on the rise among middle and high school students, even as overall rates of bullying in schools have remained steady, according to a federal report released Tuesday. 

 July 15, 2019 at 9:01 p.m. PDT

Online bullying is on the rise among middle and high school students, even as overall rates of bullying in schools have remained steady, according to a federal report released Tuesday.

Twenty percent of students between the ages of 12 and 18 were bullied during the 2016-2017 school year, according to the report from the National Center for Education Statistics, the research arm of the U.S. Education Department. Among those students who faced bullying, 15 percent said they were bullied online or by text, a 3.5 percentage point jump from the 2014-2015 school year.

More cellphone use by children could mean more bullying — online and offline

The report did not indicate why online bullying is increasing, and students were not asked about the websites or social media networks used as conduits for bullying. But Rachel Hansen, a project officer for the National Center for Education Statistics, said the information can help guide efforts by schools to curb bullying.

 Oct. 8, 2018 at 7:00 a.m. PDT

Each year, more parents send their young child to elementary school equipped with a smartphone.

For instance, the percentage of third-graders who reported having their own cellphone more than doubled from 19 percent in 2013 to 45 percent in 2017. Similar increases took place for fourth-graders and fifth-graders. About 50 percent of fourth-graders and 70 percent of fifth-graders went to school with a phone in 2017.

Parents often cite the ability to easily reach their child as the major advantage of giving them a device, which they view as a safety issue. “Stranger danger” and sexual predators are often the first risks that occur to parents. Some public schools are adopting policies that limit personal contact between students and teachers.

 Beginning in September 2019, California Alliance members will also be National Council members. The National Council for Behavioral Health is the unifying voice of America’s health care organizations that deliver mental health and addictions treatment and services. Together with 3,000 member organizations serving over 10 million adults, children and families living with mental illnesses and addictions, the National Council is committed to all Americans having access to comprehensive, high-quality care that affords every opportunity for recovery. 

  All I have is the stubbornness of a mule; no, that’s quite all, I also have a nose. Albert Einstein Note: It’s refreshing to see someone as famous as Einstein laughing at himself. For more on this, check out the humanity and humility section 

 Nothing truly valuable arises from ambition or from a mere sense of duty; it stems rather from love and devotion toward men and toward objective things. 

 If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.