Nationwide Children’s Expands Children’s Mental Health Movement as The Kids Mental Health Foundation

COLUMBUS, Ohio (April 23, 2024) - Nationwide Children's Hospital announced today that The On Our Sleeves Movement For Children's Mental Health is expanding its mission, moving forward as The Kids Mental Health Foundation. The new foundation aims to create a world where mental health is a vital part of every child's upbringing.

Since its inception in 2018, On Our Sleeves has grown exponentially, providing free educational tools and resources to more than 15 million people across the United States.

Children's mental health has been declared a national crisis by many, including the U.S. Surgeon General, and remains a growing concern among parents. A new survey of 500 parents through The Kids Mental Health Foundation finds 70% of parents and caregivers with children under the age of 18 are concerned about their kids' mental health and wellness. The survey, conducted by Ipsos, also finds that more than one-third (39%) of the parents surveyed say they are very concerned about their kids' mental health and wellness.

"So many people say they know exactly what to do if their child breaks an arm or gets a cold or a fever, but watching a child endure a panic attack or struggle with the effects of fear and stress leaves them feeling helpless," said Whitney Raglin Bignall, PhD, associate clinical director of The Kids Mental Health Foundation and pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital. "That's where we come in. We hope to create a world where children's mental health is as important as their physical health and where grown-ups have the skills to help kids face and manage life's challenges."

The Kids Mental Health Foundation's free resources - guides, videos, curriculum, articles - are custom-built by Nationwide Children's experts to help parents learn how to start talking about mental health and build skills around mental health with their children before there's a concern or emergency.

"The goal behind these free resources is to empower adults with the confidence to understand, address and promote the mental health of kids," said Dr. Raglin Bignall. "Parents, teachers, coaches, employers and others who work with children turn to these evidence-informed mental health tools and resources every day to help kids build a foundation of mental wellness, reaching millions of adults and children across the United States."

More than 500 resources have been created to build skills, literacy and prevention habits on topics including: anxiety, bullying, body image, safe social media use, minority mental health, and suicide prevention. With championing from Nationwide Children's and the support of many generous corporate partners and donors who help make free health content possible, On Our Sleeves has steadily grown its impact, with resources now available in all 50 states. Leading national partners Big Lots, Nationwide Foundation, JOANN Stores, Inc., along with corporations, professional sports teams, educators, health care institutions, celebrities and individual champions - have helped support the movement, increasing visibility and promoting resources.

"So many people have made The Kids Mental Health Foundation possible - especially the dedicated team of more than 1,000 behavioral health staff members at Nationwide Children's Hospital," said Tim Robinson, chief executive officer of Nationwide Children's. "Their expertise and advocacy have led The Kids Mental Health Foundation to become the nation's leading organization promoting mental health for children. Now, they'll have an even greater impact on children and families across the country."

The Kids Mental Health Foundation will create a Clinical Advisory Council, expand its Teacher Kit Program, increase educational resources focused on primary care providers, and offer its Bloom curriculum for employers nationwide. The foundation also plans to increase national community, education and health care partners.

"If you're a new parent who's wondering 'how do I protect the mental health of my child now?' I hope you will seek answers from The Kids Mental Health Foundation," said Dr. Raglin Bignall. "It's my hope now and in the future that as our society tries to reverse the children's mental health crisis, that parents, caregivers, teachers and more turn to our trusted resources to build important mental health skills to help promote mental wellness for their children."

To follow The Kids Mental Health Foundation, learn more about the mission, and access resources to make a difference in the life of a child, visit KidsMentalHealthFoundation.org.

About the survey: This Kids Mental Health Foundation/Ipsos poll was conducted March 22-24, 2024, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 539 adult parents of children under the age of 18. The survey has a margin of error of ± 4.7 percentage points.

The Kids Mental Health Foundation is the leading organization promoting mental health for children in the United States. To achieve its vision to build a world where mental health is a vital part of every child's upbringing, more than 1,000 mental health professionals and researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital, in partnership with other trusted experts, provide real-world knowledge and expertise to power the Foundation's free educational videos, guides and curriculum. Launched in 2018 as The On Our Sleeves Movement for Children's Mental Health, the organization recently expanded its mission as The Kids Mental Health Foundation to reflect the belief that emotional and physical wellbeing should be treated the same. To date, more than 15 million people have engaged with the Foundation's materials, empowering parents, caregivers, educators, coaches and employers as the guiding force for children's mental health all across the United States.

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