Youth mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and suicide, have been on the rise for the past decade, and compounded by the pandemic. Schools are on the frontlines of this crisis, and while they represent an enormous opportunity to strengthen our mental health safety net, they are under-resourced and largely unequipped to monitor student needs in real time and at scale.
Closegap equips K-12 schools with the technology and data to more effectively address youth mental health and emotional well-being. Through a fun, interactive daily check-in for students, Closegap captures need-to-know information from students (emotions, energy level, physical needs) and delivers it to educators and school counselors through an easy-to-use dashboard so they can intervene in real-time. Students learn to label, understand and regulate their emotions, and are provided with a new, direct line to school staff to express their emotional needs. School staff receive alerts, a daily triaged list of their students, and data visualisations to spot trends over time. The software is free, scalable and developmentally appropriate by grade level, so schools simply need an internet connection and devices. Schools using Closegap have prevented suicides and uncovered cases of self-harm, sexual assault, bullying, trouble at home, and more.
Closegap has reached more than 300,000 students across all 50 states and many countries through word of mouth by educators. 77% of schools Closegap works with are Title 1 Schools. Demand for Closegap 10x’d during the pandemic as schools scrambled to meet the mental health needs of students. To date, over 7 million student check-ins have been completed. Of students who reported suicidal ideation or self-harm on Closegap in the past year, 100% are receiving counseling or other support services. Closegap earned a spot on Fast Company’s 2023 Most Innovative Companies list and was recognized as one of Anthem Awards’ 2022 Responsible Technology Products. Our next goal is to reach 1 million students.
Closegap is completely free for schools and does not require any training.
To sign up, visit: www.closegap.org;
Click "Sign up" and select your school role;
Then, follow the school set-up process.
We have a Help Centre and Resource Centre to help you set up your school and implement Closegap with your students. We can't wait to meet you!
