Children's Mental Health Awareness Week

Children’s Mental Health Awareness week is celebrated during the first week of May every year! Mental health in childhood means reaching developmental and emotional milestones and learning healthy social skills and how to cope when there are problems. During Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, AUCD focused on the importance of mental health parity laws, suicide prevention, support, and social skills development of Children and/or youth. In doing so we celebrated the work of the Children’s Mental Health Champions. From May 1-7th the Champion’s projects were highlighted on social media platforms along with discussions using the hashtags #ChildrenMentalHealth and #Phis4Everyone. 

The Children's Mental Health Champions project is made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Building on the efforts of the year one Champions, 2020-2021, twelve Champions were selected for 2021-2022 to continue to provide timely support for children and their families. The Champions developed state-specific work plans to implement effective strategies for mental health promotion, prevention supports, and the creation of networks (e.g., school, healthcare, and community) to promote better connections between these systems. The 2021-2022 Champions represent American Samoa, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Learn more about the 2021-2022 Champions and find all Webinars and Resources archived at AUCD’s National Center on Disability in Public Health.