What is Emotional and Community Wellness?
Emotional and Community Wellness encompasses the social-emotional, mental health, and community support structures that contribute to student well-being. It includes practices that foster self-awareness, emotional regulation, resilience, and relationship-building skills. Community wellness extends beyond individual students, emphasizing family engagement, access to resources, and partnerships that support holistic development. Research indicates that fostering emotional and community wellness improves student engagement, reduces behavioral challenges, and enhances overall academic achievement.
How do Emotional and Community Wellness and CA MTSS Align?
CA MTSS addresses the social-emotional and community-based needs of students within an integrated framework. Emotional and Community Wellness aligns with CA MTSS through the following principles:
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Comprehensive Assessment: Identifying student and community wellness needs through data-driven decision-making.
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Tiered Supports: Providing universal strategies for all students, targeted interventions for those at risk, and intensive supports for those with significant needs.
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Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Embedding SEL practices to enhance emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and interpersonal skills.
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Community Partnerships: Collaborating with families, mental health professionals, and local organizations to create a network of support.
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Trauma-Informed Practices: Implementing strategies that acknowledge and address the impact of trauma on student learning and behavior.
By integrating Emotional and Community Wellness into CA MTSS, schools create inclusive, supportive environments where all students can thrive academically, emotionally, and socially.
Community Schools & CA MTSS
The California Multi-Tiered System of Support (CA MTSS) is a framework designed to address the academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and mental health development of students within a fully integrated system of support. School teams use data to guide instruction and identify students who require support for increasingly intensive interventions based on need. CA MTSS offers the potential to create needed systemic change through intentional design and redesign of services and supports to quickly identify and match to the needs of all students. In California MTSS, counties, regions, and state educational agencies provide technical support, while local educational agencies are the place of intervention, and schools serve as the sites of transformation. CA MTSS is a framework that supports equity-based inclusion within a multi-tiered system.
What Are Community Schools?
Community Schools are a comprehensive school-improvement strategy that integrates student supports, expands learning opportunities, fosters family and community engagement, and strengthens collaborative leadership. These schools function as hubs that bring together various resources to support student success, addressing both academic and non-academic needs through partnerships with families and community organizations. Community Schools utilize a whole-child approach, ensuring that every student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.
How Do Community Schools and CA MTSS Align?
Community Schools and CA MTSS share a commitment to equity and holistic student success. They align in the following ways:
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Integrated Student Supports – Community Schools provide wraparound services such as mental health support, nutrition programs, and housing assistance, which align with CA MTSS's approach to addressing academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs through a tiered framework.
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Expanded Learning Time and Opportunities – Both frameworks emphasize enrichment activities beyond the traditional school day, reinforcing learning and engagement for all students.
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Family and Community Engagement – Community Schools strengthen relationships between schools, families, and local organizations, supporting CA MTSS's goal of creating inclusive and responsive educational environments.
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Collaborative Leadership and Practices – Community Schools promote shared decision-making and stakeholder involvement, which align with CA MTSS's focus on using data-driven strategies to meet student needs effectively.
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Equity and Access – Both frameworks prioritize removing barriers to learning and ensuring that every student has access to high-quality instruction, resources, and support systems.
By aligning Community Schools with CA MTSS, schools can create a comprehensive, inclusive, and sustainable system that ensures all students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
