The Time is Now. Scroll for your Fall Campaign e-News.

Welcome to The Time is Now, your Children’s Mental Health Campaign e-newsletter! It’s been a busy summer for the Children’s Mental Health Campaign, and as we head into the fall, we’re excited to share with you some updates on our work.

Thank you for being a partner in advocating on behalf of Massachusetts children!

Summer at the State House

The Children’s Mental Health Campaign’s policy advocacy work continued through the summer as staff from Campaign organizations testified strongly in favor of the following bills:

An Act Regarding Families and Children in Need of Assistance(S.141 Sen. Kennedy/H.265 Rep. Mendes)

• Courtney Chelo (MSPCC), Marisol Garcia (Health Law Advocates), and Candice Gabrey (PPAL) testified on An Act Regarding Families and Children in Need of Assistance before the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities.
• This bill requires that, before seeking court involvement for issues like absenteeism or behavioral concerns, schools connect families with their local Family Resource Center (FRC), and allow at least 45 business days to explore community-based interventions. It also requires that juvenile courts’ websites have publicly available educational materials about community-based alternatives to filing a Child Requiring Assistance (CRA) case and the potential adverse outcomes of becoming involved in state systems.
• The legislation reflects a shift from punishment to prevention and affirms that behavioral challenges are best addressed through support, not stigma.
• Learn more about the bill here!

An Act Relative to MassHealth Reimbursement for Schools (S.862 Sen. Fernandes/H.545 Rep. Decker)

• Kelly English (MSPCC) testified before the Joint Committee on Education and the Joint Committee on Financial Services in support of An Act Relative to MassHealth Reimbursement for School.
• At present, the School-Based Medicaid Program (SBMP) provides financial support to help offset the costs of providing and administering health care services and programs that the 760,000+ Massachusetts students enrolled in Medicaid need to succeed in school. However, Medicaid reimbursements for health services provided in schools are not consistently reinvested into schools and are instead directed to municipalities to be used at their discretion.
• This bill would ensure that these funds are returned directly to school health budgets, enabling schools to expand their capacity to fund health services and incentivizing new districts to enroll.
• Learn more about the bill here!

An Act to Establish the Whole Child Grant Program (S.369 Sen. Gomez/H.544 Rep. Decker)

• Courtney Chelo (MSPCC) testified in support of An Act to Establish the Whole Child Grant Program before the Joint Committee on Education.
• The bill establishes a tiered per-pupil grant program to help districts meet the full range of student needs. The funding would allow schools to hire and retain critical staff such as nurses and counselors, provide professional development opportunities on inclusive practices, support local initiatives to improve school climate and student well-being, and direct more resources to schools serving low-income populations.
• This legislation represents a proactive strategy to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline by addressing root causes of unaddressed behavioral health challenges and keeps students connected to the support they need to thrive.
• The Senate version of the Whole Child Grant Program (S. 369), has been given a favorable recommendation that collapses it into S.400, An Act to ensure adequate and equitable funding for public education. While it does not advance the Whole Child Grant Program directly, the bill creates a commission to make recommendations to ensure fair and adequate funding for PreK-12 public education. This creates an opportunity in a challenging fiscal environment to center a conversation about equitable resources for school behavioral health.

CMHC in the Community

In July, Kelly English, Chief Innovation Officer at MSPCC, Pamela Sager, Executive Director at Parent Professional Advocacy League, and Aditi Subramaniam, Director of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Policy at MSPCC presented a poster at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work’s 2025 Training Institutes: Building a World Where Young People Thrive. The poster, entitled “Using Family Journey Maps as a Visual Tool to Advocate for Improved Services for Youth with Complex Needs,” detailed findings from a series of interviews with families about their experiences finding services for their children with co-occurring autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mental health concerns.

The family journey mapping project was part of the first phase of the E4 Project, a multiyear initiative to address care barriers for youth with co-occurring autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mental health concerns and identify solutions and strategies to improve service access. The work is funded through a grant from the Peter and Elizabeth Tower Foundation.

To learn more about the E4 Project, please click here.

October 20-24 is Celebrate Babies Week!

Every year, Infant Mental Health Associations and organizations across the globe come together for a special week dedicated to honoring infants, toddlers, young children, their families, and the incredible infant and early childhood professionals who support them. Join us and thousands of others as we Celebrate Babies and the vital relationships that help them thrive!

Our Mission

Celebrate Babies Week is a global initiative dedicated to raising awareness of and celebrating the individuals, families, groups, and systems working to promote the well-being of infants, toddlers, and their families.

Through community engagement, education, and advocacy, Celebrate Babies Week aims to enhance the attention, love, and nurturing care that babies need to thrive worldwide. We are committed to increasing public understanding and social action to support the critical importance of healthy relationships between infants, toddlers, families, infant and early childhood professionals and all who touch the life of a young child, addressing disparities, and ensuring equitable access to essential services and programs, ensuring that every baby and family receives the best start in life.

Our Vision

A world where every baby and their caregivers are celebrated, nurtured, and given the foundation for a healthy, successful and thriving future. Celebrate Babies Week envisions communities around the globe united in their commitment to supporting the developmental and relational needs of infants and toddlers, fostering environments where every baby can grow, learn, and reach their full potential. We strive for a future where strategic policy and financial investments, continued collaboration, and diverse partnerships lead to improved opportunities and outcomes for babies, young children and their families to experience unshakable belonging.

Mark Your Calendar!

We want YOU to be part of this year's Celebrate Babies Week, happening October 20-24, 2025. Get involved, share your stories, and join us in celebrating the joy and importance of early childhood. Join us on October 22nd from 10-11 am for a virtual gathering. Registration here!

Take action for kids' mental health by signing up for our advocacy alerts, newsletters, and invitations to future events!

Thank you!