Chatham County Schools is rolling out a new partnership to help its students’ wellbeing: free teletherapy services through a company called Daybreak Health. Between rising numbers of children needing or seeking help and the added challenge of staffing local therapy options, the district is hoping to improve access and outcomes for all of their students.
Daybreak Health is based in San Francisco and was started by Alex Alvarado four years ago after his little brother experienced mental health challenges during middle school and high school. After seeing his sibling’s troubles culminate in dropping out, Alvarado said he felt motivated to make a difference.
“Through that,” he said of his brother’s school experience, “I really learned the importance of mental health – and not just a child’s healthcare and wellbeing but also the way they access their education. [I] really felt that Daybreak should dedicate its mission to supporting school districts in providing the best mental health services in an equitable, accessible way to students.”
Daybreak Health got started in January 2020 – weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic reached the U.S. and the mental health crisis deepened. Since then, Alvarado – who is also the company’s CEO – said 81 percent of students who have used its evidence-based teletherapy see symptomatic improvements and improved behavior at both school and home. The service is tailored to fit the students’ level of school, with children ages 10 and older able speak one-on-one with their clinician, and lasts at least 12 weeks for each child.
Even before partnering with Chatham County Schools, Daybreak had a footprint in North Carolina through working with the Alamance-Burlington School System and Guilford County Schools. Tracy Fowler, the executive director of student support services of CCS, said the district has partnered with local agencies in the past. But they began looking for new options after her department recognized student mental health needs kept increasing to the point where many were on waitlists for appointments. After hearing about Daybreak from a neighboring district, she said the conversation began and her team quickly realized that Daybreak’s method would not just be compatible, but greatly improve accessibility.
“They were the only company we found that offered services in the way they do and [allowed us] to work with a model that we already had set up,” said Fowler during an interview with 97.9 The Hill. “So, it was just really seeking that out, but finding somebody that was [willing] to meet a need we observed we had.”
The partnership formally began in January, with the school district beginning student referrals to Daybreak Health in February, prioritizing those who were on waitlists for other mental health agencies. Fowler said as of March, dozens of students are using the service – and many more are expected to follow.
“Some of the things that are important for families to understand [are], number one, there will never be a cost to the families,” said Alvarado. “Our commitment is that we make these services affordable to all families that need them. And number two [is] their child will be matched with and working with a clinician that really makes sense for them and understands them.”
Fowler said that representation element has been critical already. She said having therapists of color be available to Chatham’s students of color helps further tailor care – and can also provide better communication from students and families.
“The fact that we have this availability for conversations with our families in the language that they prefer is amazing as well,” she added. “Those translation services are not always easy to find, so when you’re already struggling to find therapists, finding someone who fits those two categories, it’s really impossible sometimes. So, I’m very excited to offer that as we think about meeting the needs of all of our kids.”
The Chatham County Schools district will continue to scale up its messaging to families about Daybreak’s teletherapy services as the school year continues. The contract between the two runs through June 2025 and Chatham County Schools is covering it with federal funds.
“We’re just honored to be able to continue to support Chatham,” said Alvarado, “and [are] excited to hopefully continue to support schools across North Carolina as this is just such a pressing need. I think it’s never been more obvious that mental health is a pre-requisite and inextricably linked to student success.”
More information about the Chatham County Schools district’s partnership with Daybreak Health can be found here.
Photo via Anna Shvets.
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