A Systemic Approach to Supporting the Whole Child is Crucial for Our State

When students are healthy, and feel safe, challenged, and supported, they can thrive in school and life. This makes it essential that schools are equipped with appropriate resources and staff to see to not only students’ academic needs but their social-emotional needs too, making the state support of student mental health and well-being through school districts fundamental. By taking a more systemic approach to providing supports such as trauma-responsive training, professional development on the impacts of trauma, tools for supporting students experiencing traumatic stress, and understanding community exposure, Illinois will be further setting students up for success in school and life. 

While research demonstrates that a significant portion of children have experienced trauma in some form, it also indicates that exposure to trauma significantly affects academic performance, social-emotional development, and physical and mental health. Students who have experienced trauma may struggle not only with concentration, managing emotions, and forming healthy relationships, but also with feeling safe in school environments. 

Research has also indicated the importance of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and trauma-responsive practices in education. SEL supports student mental health by helping students build skills in self-awareness, emotional regulation, and decision-making. Trauma-responsive practices ensure that school environments are structured to recognize and address the needs of students who have faced adversity. These school-based supports designed specifically to address these needs are a fundamental component of a school system that helps all students to thrive.  

In Illinois, the data shows a growing and urgent need for mental health services in schools. While ranking 13th among states in terms of providing youth mental health services, nearly 40 percent of youth in Illinois who experienced major depressive episodes did not receive the care they needed. This gap indicates the disconnect between available resources and actual access to care. The COVID-19 pandemic only intensified the need, as students faced increased stress, grief, and instability. Even before the pandemic, 40 percent of Illinois youth had experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). According to the National Survey of Children’s Health from 2023, that number remained high through the pandemic, with 77.4 percent of children having experienced one or more ACEs and 17.9 percent experiencing two or more. Black and Latinx youth continue to be disproportionately impacted, underscoring the importance of equity-focused interventions. 

In recent years, Illinois has taken steps to prioritize student well-being.  In 2021, the state established the Whole Child Task Force, which developed a comprehensive, multi-tiered framework for student mental health. In 2022, the task force released its recommendations on policies and practices needed to provide an equitable, inclusive, safe, and supportive environment in all schools. The task force recommended that all staff working in school settings receive training on trauma and restorative practices. The State Board of Education (ISBE) dedicated nearly $55 million of ESSER funds to support SEL initiatives and provide support training and professional development to school districts to educate staff on implementing strategies to address student trauma and needs. The Center for Childhood Resilience has supported schools with Resilience-Supportive Schools-Illinois (RSSI). It is designed to help school leaders reflect on their current policies, procedures and practices that contribute to resilience among students and staff. Schools are then able to make data-informed decisions around the social and emotional learning pathways to prioritize for their school. 

Further progress has been made with the passage of HB342. Championed by Representative Carol Ammons and Senator Kimberly Lightford in 2024, it implements task force recommendations. It adopts definitions of trauma, trauma-responsive learning environments, and the whole child approach; requires relevant school resource data, such as the availability of counselors and social workers—to be included in the Illinois Report Card; and tasks ISBE with developing a first of its kind statewide adversity index. This Children’s Adversity Index, rooted in research, uses data including healthcare access, economic conditions, educational opportunity, and family and community stability to identify areas of the state facing high levels of community-level adversity, enabling leaders to target resources and support where they are most needed. HB342 also directs ISBE to ensure educator preparation programs include trauma-informed practices and reconvening the Whole Child Task Force after five years to assess implementation progress. 

Illinois has made commendable progress in supporting children’s well-being and school communities, but the work must continue. With a more intentional systemic approach to children’s mental health, and supporting schools and partners, the state is working to bring SEL and trauma-informed care directly into classrooms and school communities, but a sustained commitment is needed, so all Illinois students have access to the mental health and SEL supports they need to succeed. 

Eucarol Juarez is the Senior Communications Associate for Advance Illinois.