Chico Unified School District Case Study

Overview

Located in California’s Sacramento Valley, Chico Unified School District serves 14,000+ students across 23 schools. With a mission to ensure all students achieve high levels of academic and personal success, the district strives to address the diverse needs of students and promote lifelong learning. Chico Unified ensures every member of the district community is supported by offering a diverse curriculum at each school site and providing robust academic and mental health support services.

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At a glance

14,358

student enrollment

44.5%

qualify for free or reduced lunch

673

connections to community-based care after partnering with Care Solace

Challenges

In November 2018, Chico Unified was impacted by California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire, the Northern California Camp Fire. Though the district has a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) in place, the impact of the fire left staff members feeling overwhelmed with trying to match up needs with support for students. “We saw our population change drastically; there were a lot of displaced families who needed to find new places to live and work,” said Kelly Staley, Superintendent at Chico Unified School District.

Demand Due To Crisis

“There were a lot of displaced families who needed to find new places to live and work.”

Accessibility

“Even though the Camp Fire has passed, a lot of trauma has been left behind – for our students, their families and our surrounding communities.”

Overwhelmed Staff

The impact of the fire left staff members feeling overwhelmed with trying to match up needs with support for students.

Though devastating, the Camp Fire became Chico Unified’s “lightbulb moment.”

Solution

“I was introduced to Care Solace after hearing Chad Castruita, the organization’s CEO, speak at a superintendent’s conference, and I knew the support and services they offer were exactly what we needed,” said Tim Cariss, Director of Assessment & Accountability at Chico Unified School District. “Our area was already in need of mental health support prior to the fire, and the need was only exacerbated post-fire.”

“Our Director of Special Education, Diane Olsen’s, initial reaction was ‘we need these services’,” said Ted Sullivan, Director of Elementary Education and Homeless/Foster Youth Liaison at Chico Unified School District. “After we introduced Care Solace to our district family and demonstrated the services they offer, it became the easiest sell in the history of Chico Unified.”

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Care Companion™ Team

The solution provides access to a 24/7/365 around-the-clock Care Companion team. Care coordinators guide the district’s students, staff, and families through insurance, provider availability, wait times, and scheduling processes.

Case Management & Referral Tracking

Care Solace works alongside school staff and keeps them informed along the way using our Case Management and Referral Tracking Software. “Our school counselors and case managers always maintain contact with students."

Case Management & Referral Tracking

Warm Handoff® Referral Process

Care Solace makes referrals to coordinate care easy with their Warm Handoff process. When Chico Unified staff identify a student in need, they can connect the student with Care Solace. “Oftentimes, students will connect with one of our staff members first, who can then work with Care Solace by conducting a Warm Handoff and determining the best next steps to take."

Robust Database of Providers

Due to the high demand for mental health support, school counselors and case workers were struggling to find mental health providers. Care Solace's web-based system used its vast database of mental health care resources to find carefully verified care providers and community resources for students and families in need.

Robust Database of Providers

Impact

673 families connected to care with Care Solace

Care Solace’s reporting methods identified depression and anxiety as the top mental health issues that resulted in care referrals in their community.

“Depression and anxiety are two top concerns for our district,” said Marchant. “Given the prominence of these issues, we invested in mindfulness training and techniques for our staff members, who can now provide additional classroom support to students in need.”

Enrollment in our district is rising, and thanks to the internal support of our staff and external support of our community partners and Care Solace, we’re able to meet the immense need for mental health support in our area. The combination of services we provide ensures we’re able to meet individuals where they are and serve the whole person.

Kelly Staley

Superintendent

Conclusion

As Chico Unified continues to use Care Solace, staff members are grateful for the ease it provides to get members of the school community the help they need. “One of the nice things about the program is it provides much-needed services, but the financial and time resources from the staff perspective are minimal,” said Staley.

The Camp Fire displaced 24,000 people, and it left behind extensive trauma for Chico Unified and its surrounding communities. With Care Solace integrated into the MTSS, Chico Unified can meet the growing demand for mental health services.