Download this episode’s companion brief: Leveraging Interagency Collaboration and State Funding to Enhance Student Behavioral Health
In this episode, host Jason Willis talks with Dr. Chaun Powell on how schools can advance equity by expanding “whole child” services available to students at sites. Powell, Senior Chief of Student Services for the Alameda County Office of Education (COE), identifies key approaches for maximizing funding sources—with a particular focus on behavioral and mental health supports—and seizing new opportunities to partner with other agencies that serve children.
California is rolling out major initiatives that increase student access to a range of vital services that better support all areas of children’s development and learning, including the California Community Schools Partnership Program, the California’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, and the Family First Prevention Services Act.
These initiatives present new possibilities for school districts and county offices to blend and braid funding to enhance and sustain services. Powell discusses how programs and policies like these promote interagency collaboration, explore questions around innovative funding, strengthen collaboration across systems, and center equity.
Additional Resources
- Statewide Multi-Payer School-Linked Fee Schedule overview video
- Improving Student Wellness With A Multi-Tiered System of Support, WestEd audiocast featuring Santa Clara COE
About Our Guest
Dr. Chaun Powell, Senior Chief of Student Services for the Alameda COE, is a licensed clinical social worker, school social worker, educational leader, writer, and adjunct faculty member at San José State University & California State University East Bay. Her background in education, community-based work, and child welfare helps her bring a cross-systems lens to serving children, youth, and families in schools and the community. Her work has included the development of policy and spearheading and implementing school-based health and wellness, and attendance and behavior, response initiatives at the school, district, county, and state levels. Before joining Alameda COE, she served as a site level Dean of Students, and as Executive Director, Youth Health & Wellness for Santa Clara COE, where she also led a statewide Professional Learning Network for educators on school-based billing.