Background: Safe and Supportive Schools

Mental health challenges among our nation’s youth is a growing public health concern, as recent studies reveal an alarming increase in the number of adolescents reporting persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, suicidal ideation and attempted suicide. Creating safe and supportive school environments is critical for the overall well-being and success of students, providing positive outcomes. When students feel secure in their surroundings, they are more likely to participate in their academic success, form positive social connections at school and home, and are less likely to engage in harmful behaviors and report feelings of stress and anxiety.

Establishing this type of learning environment requires a collaborative approach between schools, families and the community. Family engagement has been identified as a key component in efforts to cultivate positive and inclusive learning environments where students feel welcome, seen and heard. In 2021, CDC Foundation entered into a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support youth mental health and well-being through family engagement, providing opportunities to hear directly from parents and caregivers about their perspectives and attitudes on matters that may impact their child’s school experiences, mental health and overall wellbeing. Fostering an environment that values respect, understanding and where each student feels included contributes to academic achievement and fosters the growth and resilience of students.

About the project:

Through this project, the CDC Foundation is working to empower families by:

• providing opportunities to hear directly from them on their concerns around school and education-related topics that may impact youth mental health and wellbeing;
• sharing the key findings with parents and caregivers as well as organizations that serve the school community;
• gathering information on the types of support and resources they perceive to be the most beneficial to support youth mental health and wellbeing;
• using the feedback from parents and caregivers to develop resources to support youth mental health and wellbeing;
• and disseminating the resources either directly to parents and caregivers or to organizations that serve the school community.

Successful parent engagement involves establishing meaningful partnerships that empower parents to actively contribute to their child's academic and social development. During the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years, the CDC Foundation partnered with the National PTA to hear directly from parents and caregivers on their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs on a variety of topics related to their child’s education and safe and supportive learning environments. The key findings from the surveys were released by the National PTA through a series of press releases and in two virtual town halls. Additionally, the 2022-2023 data were added to an interactive dashboard developed by McGeeney Consulting Partners, LLC. The dashboard allows users to filter between topic area, demographics, and survey waves.

Conference Materials

For the 2023 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo, a poster and supplemental resource were created with the goal of: 

• describing parental concerns about school violence and parental preferences for school emergency preparedness and
• discussing potential modifications to school emergency preparedness protocols to improve parental satisfaction.

View and download these conference materials.

Media Literacy Campaign Materials

During the 2022 – 2023 academic year, the CDC Foundation also partnered with The Public Good Projects, an organization specializing in public health communications, to support promotion of safe and supportive learning environments for students and improved media literacy skills for parents. Through this partnership, a number of resources were developed to support improved media literacy skills, enabling parents to become better consumers of online information on matters related to their child’s school or education in general.

View and download these resources.

This webpage about Improving Mental, Behavioral and Academic Supports to Students and Families, Part 2, is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,939,999 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

Background

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in eight people living with HIV in the United States is undiagnosed, and more than one third of all new HIV infections are transmitted by people who do not know that they have HIV. HIV self-tests, which can be done at home or in other private settings, are a confidential way for people to learn their HIV status, and this knowledge can help connect them to lifesaving preventative tools and treatment. Because of COVID-19 lockdowns and closures, HIV self-testing increased over the past two years, and it has proven to be a cost-effective way to make HIV testing more accessible in regions where healthcare is often a challenge—including in communities with limited access to affordable medical testing, rural communities and those that are disproportionately affected by HIV.

Solution and Impact

The CDC Foundation is funding 53 community-based organizations in this program to help increase access to HIV self-testing in communities across the country. Their programs establish or expand upon HIV self-testing programs by:

• Procuring and distributing HIV self-test kits to clients
• Distributing other HIV risk reduction products
• Developing communication products that educate clients about HIV self-testing
• Equipping trusted influential messengers
• Hosting or supporting local events
• Developing educational campaigns
• Collaborating with state and/or local health departments
• Collaborating with medical clinics, SSPs or other community-serving organizations
• Developing safe spaces for clients

Learn more about the 53 community-based organizations we support.

This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $9M with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.

The CDC Foundation is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the Partnering for Vaccine Equity (P4VE) program to increase equity in adult immunization.

The benefits of vaccination are not realized equally across the population of the United States. Adult vaccination coverage remains low nationally and significant racial and ethnic disparities exist.

The CDC Partnering for Vaccine Equity (P4VE) program provides funding and support to a network of national, state and local organizations prioritizing equity in COVID-19 and flu vaccination access.

Through this program, the CDC Foundation supports 101 community-based organizations (CBOs) representing 34 states and Washington, D.C. The CBOs are working to develop locally focused outreach to increase vaccine education, access and acceptance in groups that have been marginalized by long-standing health and social inequities—including racial and ethnic minority groups, refugees and immigrants, persons with disabilities, rural populations and others.

In addition, the CDC Foundation partners with five national digital marketing and media organizations to address misinformation about COVID-19 and the flu. The media partners monitor and combat misinformation about vaccines across social media channels and promote digital health literacy among communities experiencing disparities in immunization. They also develop digital assets for community-based organizations including videos and graphic images that can be used in vaccine outreach.

The CDC Foundation also created and maintains the Vaccine Resource Hub—an online repository of free materials about COVID-19, influenza, and other adult vaccines. The site gives CBOs and the public access to accurate and diverse resources and information about vaccines in over 50 languages and offers inspiring stories about the innovative P4VE work.

The partnerships forged through this collaborative program will create stronger, more resilient communities and a healthier future for everyone.

Read our recent blog about the Southeast Arizona Health Education Center in Nogales, AZ.

Years 1-3 of this project were supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $69,392,486 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.

The United States is in the midst of a growing opioid epidemic. As a result of sharing contaminated needles, HIV transmission rates have also increased. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing tools that can reduce harm in communities experiencing high rates of HIV transmitted by needles. Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) can support communities by offering services such as testing for HIV and other infectious diseases, access to clean needles and connection to treatment upon request. Unfortunately, there is a significant stigma surrounding SSPs and the people who use them. This project aims to leverage social media to educate communities about the benefits of SSPs, dispel misinformation and garner support at a grassroots level. CDC is funding the CDC Foundation to implement public health interventions based on social media messaging and engagement in target communities. The CDC Foundation is partnering with the Public Good Projects (PGP), a nonprofit with expertise in implementing public health interventions on social media.