This analysis explores the landscape of mental health services in public schools during the 2021-2022 school year, barriers schools face in offering these services, and how recent policies aim to facilitate the expansion of school-based mental health care.

Concerns about adolescent mental health and substance use have increased, particularly in light of gun violence and the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief explores the state of adolescent mental health in recent years, highlighting differences observed by sex, racial and ethnic groups, and sexual orientation.

Increasing availability of high-quality comprehensive data disaggregated by race/ethnicity is a prerequisite for efforts to advance health equity, not only related to COVID-19 but in health and health care more broadly.

Nearly half (48%) of parents of vaccine-eligible children ages 12-17 now say their child has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a new KFF Vaccine Monitor report shows. Another 15% of those parents now say they want to “wait and see” how the vaccine works for others…

This report tracks parents’ vaccine COVID-19 vaccine intentions for their children and finds that nearly half of parents of 12-17 year olds say their child has already gotten the COVID-19 vaccine. This report also examines parents’ views on school policies and precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep children safe.

This report examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wellbeing of parents and children. It finds that more than one-third of parents say their child fell behind academically or in their social and emotional development as a result of the pandemic. This report also examines the mental health and wellbeing of parents whose household experienced an employment disruption due to childcare needs and of children who attended school at least partially online.

Worries about Long-Term and Serious Side Effects are Parents’ Top Concern; Hispanic and Black Parents Are More Likely than White Parents to Cite Access and Cost Issues As schools around the country prepare to reopen, a majority of parents of school-age children say they do not want their children’s schools…

This report examines attitudes and views of parents as children head back to school amidst the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the delta variant. Nearly half of parents of children ages 12-17, who are currently eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, say their child has already been vaccinated or will get the vaccine right away. The report examines parents’ vaccine concerns and attitudes towards vaccine and mask mandates in schools.

This report shows a slowdown in self-reported COVID-19 vaccination rates, with 65% of adults saying in June that they’ve gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The report also examines the role of employers in encouraging and incentivizing workers to get vaccinated and parents’ vaccine intentions for their children.

This brief explores factors contributing to poor mental health and substance use outcomes among children during the pandemic, highlighting groups of children who are particularly at risk and barriers to accessing child and adolescent mental health care.