School Mental Health Ontario Launches By Your Side Toolkit and Parent / Caregiver Learning Hub to Strengthen Student Mental Health and Well-Being
[Ontario] – School Mental Health Ontario is excited to launch By Your Side – a comprehensive suite of resources to support mental health learning and well-being for every family.
We know that parents and caregivers want their children to be physically and mentally healthy, and already have many effective tools and strategies in place.
By Your Side recognizes the expertise of parents and caregivers and offers resources to support learning and strengthen mental health and well-being in every family.
By Your Side includes two new products: a toolkit for school staff and a dedicated parent/caregiver learning hub for families.
The By Your Side Toolkit equips school staff with accessible, ready-to-use materials to foster meaningful partnerships with parents and caregivers in mental health learning. This comprehensive toolkit features:
- Info sheets and short videos tailored for parents and caregivers.
- Slide decks, pre-written articles, and communication templates to make family engagement easy and effective.
“Parents and caregivers are foundational pillars in a child’s wellbeing and learning both at home and at school. When the expertise of parents and caregivers is valued within schools, alongside supports that meet their needs, it serves to build meaningful relationships,” says Gillian Gray, Parent/Caregiver Engagement Area Lead at School Mental Health Ontario. “The By Your Side Toolkit provides school professionals with practical tools to collaborate with families in ways that are accessible, relevant and impactful.”
The new Parent/ Caregiver Learning Hub, is an online resource centre designed to meet the diverse needs of Ontario’s families. Resources and supports were created in collaboration with parents/caregivers, school mental health professionals from Ontario school boards and SMH-ON. These resources have been made available in multiple formats—including web content, PDFs, videos and webinars (coming soon).
The By Your Side Parent/Caregiver Learning Hub ensures all families can access information and strategies that promote mental health and well-being at home.
Key topics in the Parent/Caregiver Learning Hub include:
- understanding mental health
- promoting mental health at home
- supporting mental health at school
- stress and anxiety management
- substance use prevention
- navigating digital technology use
- reaching out for help
These resources aim to support mental health and well-being by providing accessible, research-informed, culturally responsive supports tailored to a wide-range of learning preferences. Further resources will be added over time, in response to parent identified needs.
Join us in supporting student mental health and well-being
School Mental Health Ontario invites school staff and families to explore these new resources as you work together to support the mental health and well-being for every student.
For more information about the By Your Side Toolkit and the Parent/Caregiver Learning Hub, visit the parent and caregivers page.
About School Mental Health Ontario
School Mental Health Ontario is a provincial implementation support team, who partners with school districts to support student mental health. Our vision is to ensure that every Ontario student has access to differentiated and responsive, evidence-informed mental health promotion, prevention and intervention services at school.
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