Kindergarten – 12th Grade Student Advocacy

Purpose

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to award $2,010,000 to one (1) Statewide Organization to conduct state and local level advocacy, training and education and outreach and engagement activities on behalf of K-12 Student Populations.

Description

The contract awarded pursuant to this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to support advocacy, training and education, and outreach and engagement for K-12 students to increase knowledge and awareness of behavioral health needs, improve access to evidence-based practices, and provide opportunities for advocacy at the local and state levels on behalf of K-12 Student Populations in California. For purposes of this RFP, the “K-12 Student Population” is that which includes K-12 students – students who are enrolled in grades Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade in the California school system. As used herein, the term “population” refers to K-12 students. In the 2022-23 school year, California enrolled about 5.8 million K-12 students in public schools of which about 61.5% of students were considered to be Socioeconomically Disadvantaged, 10% were considered to live in rural areas of the state (Small School Districts’ Association & Thrive), 3.2% were Homeless Youth, and 0.5% were Foster Youth (CA Department of Education). Especially following the COVID-19 Pandemic, California’s K-12 students face significant behavioral and mental health challenges with 1 in 3 high schoolers reporting that they feel chronically sad or hopeless, and 1 in 5 reporting that they’ve seriously considered suicide in the past year (Every Young Heart and Mind: Schools as Centers of Wellness report). In response, there has been legislation passed at the state and federal levels that have increased funding for behavioral and mental health care for K-12 students – notably, care for the population has become increasingly centralized in school environments with the intention of reaching the largest share of this population. While there has been an increase in preventative and direct behavioral and mental health services for K-12 students, access continues to be lower among underserved communities such as those in low-income households (American Academy of Pediatrics) and rural areas of the state (Small School Districts’ Association & Thrive.) During a recent youth convening held by the Commission, youth in attendance attributed such disparities to cost, proximity to services, and lack of support from their caregivers. Additionally, youth voiced that they often feel disconnected from the decision-makers who make policies that impact K-12 students. Statewide and local advocacy is critical for most accurately representing the behavioral health needs of K-12 students, and youth throughout the state have expressed their desire to directly contribute to such advocacy. While in recent years there has been an emergence of many local level youth advocacy efforts throughout California, unifying and elevating local youth voices on a state level continues to be a challenge. Providing K-12 students with training and education and building capacity for youth advocacy at the local and state levels are key for improving overall access for different communities and investing in community-defined evidence-based practices and policies.