Cassandra Paez

Supporting student mental health isn’t just about services—it’s about doing it right. As California school districts continue to expand access through LEA BOP and CYBHI, compliance, documentation, and billing accuracy are more important than ever. From IDEA alignment to Medi-Cal readiness, districts are navigating complex requirements while trying to stay focused on what matters most: students. At Practi-Cal, we partner with LEAs to simplify school-based billing, strengthen compliance, and create sustainable systems that actually work in real school environments. Whether it’s LEA BOP, CYBHI, or broader IDEA considerations, our goal is to help districts move forward with confidence—not confusion. Proud to support the work districts are doing every day to expand access, reduce barriers, and build stronger student support systems. #PractiCal #LEABOP #CYBHI #SchoolBasedMentalHealth #IDEACompliance #CaliforniaSchools #StudentSupport

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Continuous learning is essential in today’s rapidly changing job market. It helps individuals stay competitive, adapt to new technologies, and pursue better career opportunities. Calbright College is a great example of how this principle is being put into practice. As a public, online community college specifically for working adults in California, it offers flexible, tuition-free programs focused on skills that are in high demand—like IT support, cybersecurity, and medical coding. Key benefits of Calbright include: ✅ Free enrollment for California residents ✅ Competency-based learning, allowing students to progress at their own pace ✅ Fully online programs, making it accessible for working adults or caregivers ✅ Career support services, including job placement help It's an innovative approach aimed at helping people reskill or upskill without taking on debt or putting their lives on hold.

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🌟 New SPARK Blog Post: When Parents Lead, Communities Rise 🌟 Across California, immigrant families are living in fear, afraid to go to work, struggling to afford rent and food, and facing the trauma of loved ones being detained without due process. Parent Voices California (PVC) , a grassroots organization traditionally focused on childcare advocacy, saw these new needs and stepped up. When families said what they needed most was safety and information, PVC listened. PVC connects families to legal help, offers know-your-rights trainings, and builds emergency plans so children are cared for no matter what happens. “We’re not just reacting, we’re creating power,” says organizer Amarantha. “PVC is a home where parents can be heard and know they count, no matter their background or status.” This is what grassroots leadership looks like: families transforming fear into action, isolation into solidarity, and despair into hope. Read the full story on SPARK: https://lnkd.in/eh56wBn8 #GrassrootsLeadership #ImmigrantJustice #ParentVoices #SPARK #CommunityPower #NonprofitLeadership #ChildcareJustice #SPARKblog

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The region's workforce is shifting toward skills-based hiring👀 Greater Sacramento employers, educators and workforce leaders are aligning around skills-based hiring to better match training programs with real employer needs. This work is expanding access to high-wage jobs, strengthening talent pipelines and helping companies fill critical roles faster. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gEqxS9bD

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yüda ayuda is doing what we do best, humanizing technology. Thanks to a grant from BEAM Circular we’ve been invited to partner with the Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) program at Modesto Junior College to open pathways into Industry 4.0 careers. These are the jobs of the future right here in the Central Valley. Think smart machines and systems that keep our farms, factories, and warehouses running. This is hands-on learning. Automation. Sensors. Real-world skills. Shout out to our partners at Inductive Automation and Julio Ruiz Velasco. Community is built together, not alone! And if you’re wondering what business yüda ayuda has teaching this, here it is. We teach from experience. My co-founder, Daisy Mayorga-Fuentes, spent nearly 15 years at Gallo working directly with industrial systems. We’re not teaching theory. We’re teaching what’s real. That’s real ayuda.

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When we partnered with Self-Insured Schools of California (SISC) in 2014, it was with one goal in mind - to help them offer stable, affordable benefits to the school districts under their umbrella of service. But in the 10+ years since, we’ve been able to do so much more. See what steps we took to deliver a 13.4% decrease in total net cost per member per month (PMPM) in their first year and help them save $808 million. It's all in our latest article: https://ow.ly/fm3v50X9aXY

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Youth who struggle with their mental health represent a growing and defining challenge for schools and communities across California and beyond. Rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, and social disconnection among children and teens are rising, while communities are simultaneously facing a critical shortage of qualified mental health professionals, particularly within K–12 schools. The Forum on the State of Youth Mental Health will convene leading voices to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead. Panelists will examine the far-reaching impacts that federal immigration enforcement actions have had on both children and adults. The forum will also explore strategies for preparing a school-and community-based mental health workforce that can respond to the most urgent needs of today’s communities. Through these conversations, participants will consider how to approach difficult topics such as division, injustice, and social conflict with care, while highlighting how collaboration among educators, school leaders, policymakers, and practitioners can strengthen essential systems of support. Attendees will include K–12 principals, educational leaders, policymakers, practitioners and clinicians, district and community partners, and other stakeholders invested in the mental health and well-being of young people. For questions or additional information, please contact soe.events@lmu.edu. 🗓️ Thursday, March 12th from 1:00 PM PT to 4:30 PM PT 🌟 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gdMi_jmA

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This is incredible news and a crucial step forward for adolescent behavioral health—and for the clinicians and families working to navigate an increasingly complex system of care. In my experience working in intensive outpatient (IOP) settings, I have seen far too many families hesitate to pursue higher levels of care. Frequently, the primary barrier isn't a lack of need, but a profound concern regarding academic derailment and the social stigma associated with intensive mental health or substance use treatment. We know that clinical stability is the prerequisite for academic success, yet the perceived trade-off between the two remains a significant hurdle to early intervention. Daybreak Health status as an approved CYBHI partner is a milestone for California. By integrating evidence-based teletherapy directly into the school environment, they are addressing the “access gap" and normalizing mental health support as a standard part of the educational experience. It’s a model that prioritizes both clinical outcomes and academic continuity. Congratulations to the Daybreak team. This is exactly the kind of systemic alignment our field requires to meet the current mental health crisis.

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