It’s been a big year for our School-Based Programs in 2023. Even though our schools programming runs on a school-year calendar, we’re taking a moment before the end of 2023 to reflect on what we’ve accomplished and the wonderful organizations we work with to support youth and build resilient school communities.

We’re grateful to all our partners for the work they do, and we are excited to continue working with them in the coming year. Here are some of the highlights from this year:

• Last year our Forefront in the Schools (FIS) program worked with or shared resources with over 50 schools, 9 Educational Service Districts, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)–some of those schools are long-time participants in FIS and some called on us for the first time.
• Over the course of the spring and fall, four school districts have partnered with us to implement Forefront in the Schools at the district level – Sultan, Cascade, Marysville, and Central Kitsap. This initial phase of work supports consistent ESA training, team formation and shared leadership at the district and school level, and work on the school’s prevention intervention and response plans.
• We also have 14 schools joining us for JED High School delivered by Forefront – five of these schools have worked with us in the past, and are excited to continue their suicide prevention work via the slightly different “flavor” of JED’s program. These schools will be kicking off their work with us with baseline assessments and student/staff surveys that will inform strategic planning and implementation.
• And we’ve continued working with state agencies and committees such as OSPI, the School-based Behavioral Health and Suicide Prevention (SBBHSP) subcommittee of The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group (CYBHWG), and the Washington State Office of the Attorney General (AGO)’s Tip Line committee. We look forward to sharing information about the work of these groups in 2024.
• Starting this year we’ve been able to offer a broader menu of comprehensive and à la carte services to schools asking for support in their suicide prevention.

Finally – we’d like to give a massive thank you to Seattle Children’s Partnership Access Line for partnering with us to deliver The FAST Skills Workshop series!