Professor Clayton Cook, John W. and Nancy E. Peyton Faculty Fellow in Child and Adolescent Wellbeing in the Department of Educational Psychology, presented at the Whole Child Virtual Summit on April 15 hosted by Character Strong.

In his talk, Cook discusses the importance of implementation science and the use of the whole child approach. He identifies implementation issues and how investment in “tier-1” or the first level of mental health support all students should expect can lead to better student success overall.

Cook says, “The need to focus on a whole child approach has been elevated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures, but school systems must focus on those with the greatest needs for social, emotional, physical health, and educational support first.”

To meet the holistic needs of children during COVID-19 and beyond, Cook recommend school systems:

• find ways to intentionally reach out and maintain healthy social connections with children;
• provide emotional supports to cope with the current situation;
• be innovative in developing ways for children to continue to access educational experiences;
• provide caregivers with resources to create consistent, predictable routines;
• and increase caregivers access to needed resources.