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Braiding Expanded Learning & Mental Health Funds

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Braiding Expanded Learning & Mental Health Funds

Panelists:

Michael Funk, Division Director, Expanded Learning Division, California Department of Education

Liz Gomez, Director, Health Wellness & Strategic Initiatives, Sacramento County Office Of Education

Tony Lomeli, Senior Director, Student Support Services, Modesto City Schools

Moderator: Donielle Prince, Senior Specialist, Equity & Quality at California AfterSchool Network (CAN)

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What is Expanded Learning?

Michael Funk

Division Director, Expanded Learning Division

California Department of Education

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A little history: Expanded Learning’s roots in resiliency and positive youth development

2006

2004

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The conditions of positive youth development have not changed

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The Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California

High quality programs create conditions that support positive developmental outcomes consistent with the Science of Learning and Development.

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Types of Quality Standards

Programmatic

Quality Staff
Clear Vision, Mission, Purpose
Collaborative Partnership
Continuous Quality Improvement
Program Management
Sustainability

Point-of-Service

Safe and Supportive Environment
Active and Engaged Learning
Skill Building
Youth Voice and Leadership
Healthy Choices and Behaviors
Diversity, Access, and Equity

Learn More: Expanded Learning in California: Quality Standards

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Love is a research based approach

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Expanded Learning Defined

Expanded Learning is also legally defined in the California Education Code (EC 8482.1):

When	What	How
Expanded Learning opportunities take place:	Expanded Learning opportunities develop the needs and interests of students including:	Expanded Learning opportunities should be:
Before school After school Summer Intersession	academic, social, emotional, and physical	hands-on, engaging, student-centered, results-driven, include community partners, and complement learning activities in the regular school day/year.

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System of Support for Expanded Learning (SSEL)

To support and build the capacity of high quality Expanded Learning programs in California, the California Department of Education (CDE) currently funds and manages the System of Support for Expanded Learning (SSEL).

The SSEL consists of:

CDE Expanded Learning Division Staff
16 County Offices of Education (COE's) with designated County Leads and Staff, including STEAM Hub Staff
2 statewide Technical Assistance (TA) Providers: ASAPconnect and California AfterSchool Network (CAN)

Butte COE

Mendocino COE

Sacramento COE

Alameda COE

Monterey COE

Ventura COE

Imperial COE

Orange COE

San Diego COE

Stanislaus COE

Fresno COE

Merced COE

Tulare COE

Riverside COE

San Bernardino COE

Los Angeles COE

https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ex/stsystemofsup.asp

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CA Expanded Learning Funding

FY 2025-26

Total Funding: $5.4 Billion

Updated 7/21/25

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CA Expanded Learning Funding Streams

Updated 7/21/25

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Expanded Learning Platform

Quality Standards = Conditions for Thriving

Trauma-Informed

Healing-Centered

Address Barriers

Academic Behavioral Health

Food Security Health

Social / Emotional Social Services

No Wrong

Door Navigation/ Access

Hope, Healing,

Wellness

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What is CYBHI and the Capacity Grants?

Liz Gomez

Director, Health Wellness & Strategic Initiatives

Sacramento County Office Of Education

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Context: The Need for Behavioral Health Services for Students

According to Governor Newsom's Master Plan for Kids' Mental Health, in California alone:

Over 284,000 youth cope with major depression
66% of kids with depression do not receive treatment

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Context: The Need for Behavioral Health Services for Students

According to Breaking Barriers, in California:
Mental health is the #1 reason children ages 0-17 are hospitalized
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24
Mental health challenges are often spurred or exacerbated by individual, family, and societal challenges including poverty, exposure to police violence particularly among Black males, and fear of deportation within immigrant communities

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Context: The Need for Behavioral Health Services for Students

The increase in youth mental health needs is “the defining public health crisis of our time.” (Former US Surgeon General)

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What is the CYBHI School-Linked Partnership & Capacity Grant?

Part of the $4 billion state initiative, CYBHI, to transform support for children, youth, and families.
One-time funding from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
$400 million for TK-12 schools, allocated to all 58 County Offices of Education
Separate from, but aligned with, DHCS's rollout of the CYBHI Fee Schedule, which allows for reimbursement of eligible school-linked behavioral health services for students age 25 and younger
Sacramento and Santa Clara County Offices of Education, along with consultant and subject matter expert partners, are providing grant administration and technical assistance

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Statewide Behavioral Health Efforts

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SCHOOL-

LINKED

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

DEPT. HEALTH CARE SERVICES

$4.6 BILLION

Master Plan for Kids Mental Health

California Youth Behavioral Health Initiative

Across a dozen + initiatives

Fee Schedule & Capacity Grants

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School-Linked Partnership & Capacity Grants�Program Goals

The CYBHI School-Linked Partnership & Capacity Grant is designed to:

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Increase number of Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) that can access reimbursable funding sources

Expand access to behavioral health services

Develop or enhance collaborative infrastructure

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Connections Between Grant and Fee Schedule

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School-Based Funding Sources

Readiness

Grant Program

Funding allocated to all 58 County Offices of Education

Provider capacity
Partnerships
Infrastructure

Inclusive of the fee schedule

New funding
Multi-payer
Designed to be approachable reimbursement model

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We envision a future where every child and youth in California is celebrated, nurtured and supported by caring adults at home and at school.

Our Vision

The Capacity Grant Team supports County Offices of Education in building the infrastructure and capacity to meet the behavioral health needs of students in their schools and school districts.  This work is guided by a commitment to increasing equity through changing existing systems, policies, and practices to ensure that all students have full and complete access to culturally and linguistically responsive behavioral health services.

Our Mission

Desired Outcomes

The Capacity Grant is designed around three intended outcomes:

Increased capacity, infrastructure, and partnerships for ongoing school-linked behavioral health services for children and youth 
Expanded access to behavioral health services in schools or school-linked settings 
Collaborative infrastructure across Local Education Agencies (LEAs), Managed Care Plans (MCPs), county behavioral health departments, and community-based providers

Capacity Grants

The capacity grants are administered by the Sacramento County Office of Education in partnership with the Santa Clara County Office of Education. These grants are administered to all 58 county offices of education throughout California, and are designed to support LEAs in enhancing readiness towards billing the fee schedule and providing school based behavioral health services.

Our mission is to support County Offices of Education in building the infrastructure and capacity to meet the behavioral health needs of students in their schools and school districts.

Our vision is to a future where every child and youth in California is celebrated, nurtured and supported by caring adults at home and at school.

Our priorities are sustainability, billing and data systems, and impactful partnerships as catalysts for our mission and vision.

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Student Behavioral Health Funding Ecosystem

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Fee Schedule

Enhanced Care Management

LEA-BOP and S-MAA

Expanded Learning Opportunities Program �(ELO-P)

Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS)

Others

Funding for School-Based Behavioral Health Services

OPTION 1

The Fee Schedule and Capacity Grants are not the only funding source available to support student behavioral health in California, but sit within a larger ecosystem of funding available to support student behavioral health. In this puzzle graphic we’ve included some of the larger pieces at play in the funding landscape. To briefly go over each source:

The LEA Billing Option Program, or LEA BOP, and the School-Based MediCal Administrative Activities program, or SMAA, are both billing programs that LEAs can access to provide services to Medi-Cal enrolled students accessing specific services at school sites. While similar to the fee schedule, this is limited to Medi-Cal enrolled students and specific list of billable activities.
The Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, or ELO-P, provides funding to LEAs for expanded learning (i.e., before school, after school, summer, and inter-session) programs. These expanded and enriched learning opportunities are potential areas where behavioral health services could be provided beyond a typical school day, and are also an area of overlap with the emergent Wellness Coach model.
Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS) provides funding to eligible Medi-Cal enrolled students. It is administered by county mental health plans, and LEAs can partner with their county behavioral health departments to provide these services at schools.
Enhanced Care Management (ECM) provides funding for extra services for specific populations of Medi-Cal enrolled students who may need more support planning and coordinating services.
There are other federal, state, and local funding sources that can be used for student behavioral health services. Other sources include CA’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) which provides the majority of LEA funding from the state budget and local property taxes.
And finally there is the Fee Schedule. The fee schedule is unique because it is expanded to include Medi-Cal enrolled students, disability payers, and other commercial insurance plans. This allows for the provision of behavioral health services to all students throughout California and not just medi-cal enrolled ones, and aims to streamline service delivery and billing for LEAs. The program expands the reimbursable population and services available to LEAs.

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CYBHI School-Linked Partnership & Capacity Grant TA Activities

We are supporting COEs through a suite of TA activities including:

Monthly community of practice meetings
Weekly office hour sessions
An online community, including a forum, shared files, COE profiles, and data dashboard
Peer learning communities focused on specific topics related to grant implementation
Partnership with state agencies and other organizations to share expertise and guidance
Tailored support for individual COEs
Regional support through seven regional lead COEs that will support capacity building for COEs in their regions (forthcoming)

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Capacity Grant COE Learning Framework

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CYBHI School-Linked Partnership & Capacity Grant TA Topics

So far, this work has focused on a number of topic areas including:

Fee Schedule implementation including electronic health record (EHR) and billing considerations, supporting LEA onboarding, and service documentation
Certified Wellness Coach certification and service delivery
Partnerships with expanded learning providers
Blending and braiding funding for student behavioral health services
Family communications, including collection of health insurance information and consent for services and billing

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Context: The Need for Behavioral Health Services for Students

The increase in youth mental health needs is “the defining public health crisis of our time.” (Former US Surgeon General)

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Context and opportunity:�How can schools braid school based mental health resources through leveraging the Expanded Learning space?

Donielle Prince

Senior Specialist, Equity & Quality

California AfterSchool Network (CAN)

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Transforming Schools Initiative

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What if…

… Expanded Learning was a time and place to provide school-based health and mental health?

…Expanded Learning funding was braided with school-based mental health funding as part of a concrete school based mental health long term sustainability strategy?

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Expanding Student Access to Mental Health Supports

with Expanded Learning

Expanded Learning offers increased access to services: before school, after school, intersession, and during the summer.
Schools with active Expanded Learning programs can leverage ELO-P funds and Statewide Multi-Payer Fee Schedule for increased sustainability and services stability
Partnering with Expanded Learning can sustain school based mental health infrastructure built through existing student support initiatives and poised to expand through CYBHI resources

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Why partner with Expanded Learning on School-Based Mental Health?

Supports and services provided do not reduce instructional minutes.
Leveraging summer learning programs provide access to services all year long.
Quality Standards guide an enriching program environment that is already offering activities aligned with CYBHI billing guidelines, and can support additional, billable activities
School based mental health efforts can be increased when extended into EXL time and space
Access to more space on the school campus (e.g., classrooms available after school) for private, clinical encounters to take place.

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California’s new workforce:

The Certified Wellness Coach

CA Dept. of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) leads the development of this new behavioral health profession

Wellness Coaches will offer non-clinical services that support youth behavioral health and well-being, such as wellness promotion and education, screening, care coordination, individual and group support, and crisis referral.

The model will supplement and support existing behavioral health roles, fill gaps in the current behavioral health workforce, and create a larger and more diverse workforce with whom youth can connect.

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Certify Qualified Expanded Learning Staff

as Wellness Coaches

Staff with an Associates Degree and six months experience likely meet criteria for Wellness Coach 1 Certification.

Staff with a Bachelors Degree and one year experience likely meet criteria for Wellness Coach 2

http://cawellnesscoach.org

https://hcai.ca.gov/workforce/initiatives/certified-wellness-coach/

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Co-Locating Clinical and Nonclinical Services

in Expanded Learning

Access Fee Schedule to Support Students: Co-locate billable, clinical experiences with Expanded Learning to provide access before school, after school, and during the summer.

Integrate and Braid: Leveraging Expanded Learning funds and Statewide Multi-Payer Fee Schedule to provide school-based mental health, all year long, as part of mental/behavioral health cross-initiative sustainability strategy

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Key Considerations: Technical

Technical strategies for integration across initiatives and programs. Impacts:

Structure for engaging a new workforce/ workstream through Wellness Coach Certification

Practical plans (e.g., scheduling, space, etc) for co-locating clinical services in the Expanded Learning program, all year long

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Key Considerations: Workforce

Profession(al) development strategies to increase student access to emotional well-being supports. Impacts:

Workforce: Drawing on Expanded Learning to develop pathways into the teaching and behavioral health workforce

EXL can offer practicum experiences for students enrolled in Wellness Coach education programs

Opportunities for high school-to-workforce or higher education Earn and Learn apprenticeship

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Key Considerations:

County-LEA Collaboration

Partnerships between County Office of Education and LEAs:

Connect LEAs to tailored supports from the County for their implementation efforts

Support integration across mental health support initiatives at both the County and LEA level to build, foster, and sustain a robust school based mental health infrastructure

County offices hold TA that bridges to other student supports, e.g. (AB 2083) Children and Youth Systems of Care coordination groups at the County level

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Supports for LEAs:

Access to multiple county-based TA structures

Expanded Learning: System of Support for Expanded Learning/ Quality Standards.
Community Schools:

RTAC (Regional Technical Assistance Center)
STAC (Statewide Transformational Assistance Center)

Capacity Grants: Statewide Multi-Payer Fee Schedule (school-based mental health)
MTSS: Multi-Tiered System of Support
California System of Support: County-based TA for a host of topics (special needs, literacy, community engagement, and so much more)

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Schools can expand MH support access with Expanded Learning

Develop workforce capacity of Wellness Coaches in Expanded Learning

Certify existing EXL Staff as Wellness Coaches

Build capacity through existing County and LEA structures

Deliver services through Fee Schedule fundable activities.

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Schools can expand MH support access with Expanded Learning

Co-locate clinical services in EXL

Create strategies to braid the Statewide Multi-Payer Fee-Schedule, and other ongoing funding sources with Expanded Learning

Extend the time and space for funded services, all year long

Access the Fee Schedule to provide billable activities to sustain and even create a revenue generating model by providing clinical experiences

Connect families to new CA mental health resources available through CYBHI

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Modesto City Schools

Partnerships Supporting Mental Health

Tony Lomeli

Senior Director, Student Support Services

Modesto City Schools

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Modesto City Schools

Partnerships Supporting Mental/Behavioral Health

“Braid and Leverage”

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School Based Partners

Center For Human Services

Student Assistant Specialist
Family Support Specialist
Integrated Mental Health Clinician(including SW/Substance Abuse)

Sierra Vista Child and Family Services Mentoring Program
Board Certified Behavior Analyst(BCBA)
School Counselors

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Center For Human Services

Community Partner

Non-profit community counseling agency
Partnership for over 30 years
Instrumental in providing:

social emotional support & behavior support for students
consultation/professional development for staff
parent trainings and family support

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Blending Funding Sources

Expanded Learning Opportunities Plan
Learning Communities for School Success Program(LCSSP)

California state initiative that provides funding to school districts and county education offices to help improve student outcomes. Specifically, the grant supports efforts aimed at reducing student absenteeism, preventing school suspensions, and fostering positive school environments.

EHCY(Homeless)

homeless children and youth have equal access to free, appropriate public education, including support services to help them succeed academically

LREBG

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Blending Funding Sources

Managed Care Billing

network of healthcare providers who agree to specific payment rate

BHRS(Behavioral Health and Recovery Services)

financial resources allocated to support mental health and substance abuse disorder.

CYBHI(School Linked Partnership & Capacity Grants)

Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative
Create Access to School-linked Behavioral health services for children and youth
Expand eligible practitioners to include PPS(counselors)

Wellness Coach Implementation Grant

Building a More Diverse Behavioral Health Workforce to Help Children and Youth

Community Schools Grant

The funding provides "whole-child" education and wraparound services, such as health and mental health support, to break down barriers to learning and improve student outcomes in high-need communities.

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“Braid & Leverage”

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Example of Braiding of Funds

Integrated Mental Health Clinicians
COST at 40% to Modesto City Schools

Braiding ELO-P

Services after school
Summer/Intersession

Increased from 10.5 FTE to 28 FTE utilizing different funding sources

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Slide deck available:

“Braiding Expanded Learning & Mental Health Funds”