This is not just my theory. This is my personal experience.
State Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet
Posted inHealth, News, Politics and Government, Social Services
Bill aims to prevent runaways, improve mental health results for Colorado foster youth at residential centers
Colorado would have to create new standards for residential centers that house foster children as well as examine how best to prevent kids from running away from those centers under a new legislative proposal. The bill follows high-profile scrutiny of the 24/7 residential centers, including a joint Colorado Sun/9News investigation that found that children and […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News
Coronavirus is straining Colorado kids’ mental health. The state hopes free counseling sessions will help.
East Grand School District’s 1,305 students have been forced to cope with an immeasurable amount of stress this year, first in the form of a pandemic, followed by a wildfire racing through their community, burning more than 100,000 acres within hours. Amid the ashes left by the East Troublesome Fire last fall, there remains a […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, Health, News, Politics and Government
Should every Colorado kid get a mental health exam after enduring coronavirus? It won’t be easy.
When Mark Sass has a parent-teacher conference these days, the discussion often isn’t immediately focused on grades. It’s focused on wellbeing. “We need to lead with that mental health concern before we jump into the academics,” said Sass, a part-time social studies teacher at Legacy High School in Broomfield who also runs the Colorado branch […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Voices of Colorado youth, amplified by activism and opportunity, find receptive ears with lawmakers
As a high school sophomore, Margot Swetich followed state Sen. Faith Winter to a building across the street from the State Capitol and into a meeting room, where an assortment of lobbyists peppered the Westminster Democrat with questions and objections to the contentious family leave bill she championed. Margot, then just 15, reeled from the […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Colorado House Democrats return to the Capitol with a message to the GOP
Most people don’t know who their legislator is, and we’re OK with that. But, many people also don’t truly understand what we do, and we’re definitely not OK with that. While some people urged us to get back to work during the stay-at-home phase of the pandemic, the truth is we never stopped working. We’ve […]
Posted inColoradans, Education, News
One school social worker quelled a girl’s suicidal thoughts. Colorado hopes a lot more of them can provide a lasting solution.
OAK CREEK — Colorado lawmakers in the last legislative session committed more state money to behavioral health staffing in schools, hoping to help more students like a 15-year-old Routt County girl who credits the social worker at her school with saving her life. The teen says she is a survivor of sexual assault that so […]