Building Bridges provides 90-day intensive wrap-around support to students in 4K through 8th grade with immediate mental health needs and their families. Each MMSD attendance area has clinical coordinators who provide crisis stabilization and prevention services. The primary objective of the Building Bridges program is to decrease mental health crisis events of students in the school setting and provide needed family supports to ensure the student’s behavioral stability and readiness for learning. The team also works closely with school staff to improve their capacity to respond to mental health issues in the school setting. The program strives to increase student success by providing proactive responses to stressors, connect schools, families and students with needed resources and improve school staff’s understanding of mental health challenges impacting students and families. Building Bridges is a partnership between Dane County Human Services, Catholic Charities, and MMSD.
Building Bridges is offered at no cost and is voluntary for parents or guardians who would like support for their child. Referrals are made through building-level Student Services Teams.
For more information, contact: Meg Nelson, Building Bridges Social Worker