The Mental Health Wellness Continuum Program at Healthlincs is designed to provide school-age children a safe environment in which to learn. As we celebrate Black Child Development week, which takes place in June, let’s take a look at what creates a safe learning environment for all children.

What is a Safe Space?

A safe space is one in which a child’s overall wellness is taken into consideration. It means that this child is listened to and heard. This child is allowed to express their thoughts. When the school system and other allied support services all get on that same page of creating a safe environment, they should make sure that students are able to speak about what concerns them.

Here are three of the most crucial ways that schools and support services can help to create this type of atmosphere for their students.

Build Their Moral Compass:

When schools have shown that they are willing to understand and effectively communicate with students, then they are able to lead and guide them in decision making. Schools should do this by providing an understanding of what cautionary measures students should take (to help students avoid harmful decisions) and what disciplinary measures will be taken (to correct harmful decisions which have already been made.) In this way, the left and right hand are working together to help a student build their own moral compass.

Understand Achievement Potential:

When it comes to academic achievement, both nature and nurture are at play. Schools have the ability to take part in the “nurture” aspect. Nurturing students effectively means understanding how different students learn in different ways, so they can understand how to teach these students. Walking with each child and meeting them where they are to understand that God-given potential helps to improve the achievement of that child. It’s also essential to understand that being a high-achieving scholar is not all there is to it. The student needs to learn to be socially adaptable, and well-rounded in terms of how their actions impact others.

Provide Equitable Access of Resources

We recognize that not all students share the same needs, and in honor of Black Child Development Week, we want to address the difference between equality and equity in creating safe spaces for students from diverse backgrounds. Equality means we just give everybody the same thing. The problem is, everybody may not need the same thing. Equity, on the other hand, is giving people what they need to achieve the same goal. Safe environments should make sure that resources are provided not in a cookie cutter manner, but in a way that is equitable.

What Can You Do As An Individual?

As individuals, we can help ensure safe learning environments for students by identifying ways to offer up our time to engage with our school systems. Whether you give up time to educate, offer a Zoom Call or webinar based on your area of expertise, donate money toward Black Child Development, or lend your vote in terms of advocacy to push for policies that will pay attention to equitable access of resources, you can affect the lives of students in your area. You can also educate yourself on the areas that need improvement where you live, by looking at reading proficiency, math proficiency, and other means of assessing academic development in children. It is when we can see the gap that we can be moved to do something about it.

So whether you are an administrator, teacher, or professional looking to make a difference, let’s all make a choice to improve the lives of students by providing them safe and equitable environments in which to learn.

Healthlincs is a 501-c nonprofit organization that partners with local & national agencies to provide care coordination services for beneficiaries and program enrollees. Our Mental Health support services offer personalized support for children or adults that need mental health support.

To learn more about MWC, click this link.