Social Media Posts – Toolkit for Schools: Engaging Parents to Support Student Mental Health and Emotional Well-being

You can tailor the following text for your specific audience, social media channels, and community (e.g., add specific school or district names and contact information). Be sure to include a call to action such as how to get involved in the school health team, or where to get more information. You could include the resources listed in this toolkit on your own website, in an upcoming newsletter, at a PTA/PTO meeting, or through a hosted learning event (either virtual or in-person) for parents.

Consider these additional tips for posting social media messages:

• Upload a graphic with your message to increase the number of people who see and interact with your post.
• Include the hashtags #CDCHealthySchools to help people find more related posts. This will also help CDC Healthy Schools find your posts more easily. Tag partners, school districts, schools, and other school health champions.
• Use emojis when appropriate to draw attention and increase engagement.
• Encourage and respond to comments and encourage people to share your posts.

Post 1: Hey parents and caregivers! [School, district, organization name] is making mental health and emotional well-being a priority. Our goal is to create a healthy and supportive school where students feel connected to adults and peers. But we cannot do it alone. You have a powerful role in supporting your child’s learning, health, and emotional well-being at home and at school. When parents are engaged in their children’s school activities and initiatives, they get better grades, choose healthier behaviors, and have better social skills. Learn what you can do to help build a healthy and supportive school.

Post 2: Our focus on mental health and emotional well-being has increased more and more. We are working to create a healthy and supportive school to support students’ social and emotional development and academic performance. Keep an eye out for our next newsletter with more information about what we are doing to support students and how you can help.

Post 3: We are committed to a school culture that reflects the importance of showing empathy in relationships, using effective communication, and demonstrating respect for diversity. This is just one of the many practices we use to support students’ mental health and emotional well-being. There are some simple things you can do to help your child develop positive relationships and coping skills so they are more likely to avoid unhealthy behaviors and less likely to be emotionally distressed:

• Take time to talk to your child and be an active listener.
• Acknowledge and ask about your child’s feelings to model empathy.
• Focus on your child’s strengths before talking about things they can do to improve their confidence.
• Model positive coping skills to identify and manage stressful situations such as going for a walk or practicing deep breathing exercises.

You can also work with us to reinforce behaviors that contribute to a healthy and supportive school environment. Visit https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/sec_parents.htm to learn more about why this is important.

Post 4: Hello parents! [School, district, organization name] is making mental health and emotional well-being a priority for everyone in our school. Read our upcoming newsletter to learn about our efforts to  support students and staff. Find out how you can help!