September 28, 2021
State Investment to Fuel TRAILS Expansion
We are thrilled to announce that, thanks to a landmark $5.4 million investment from the Michigan state legislature, TRAILS can now begin to expand our programming statewide. With this new funding, we aim to bring effective mental health resources and programming to all 56 intermediate school districts (ISDs) across Michigan within the next three years.

TRAILS looks forward to partnering with new communities throughout the state to work toward more equitable access to mental health support. We know such support is more essential than ever, as communities respond to the pandemic and its impact on the mental health of children and adolescents. Our immediate focus will be to connect with rural and remote districts, districts with a high percentage of students of color, districts located in communities with high Medicaid enrollment, and districts impacted by poverty. As we increase our partnership capacity, we will also be expanding our clinical and project management teams and bolstering our technology and data management systems.

These efforts will begin immediately, as we aim to reach 15 new districts in the 2021-2022 academic year. See below for further information about our expansion plans.

We are so grateful for this new opportunity, and for the support of Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan state legislature. It is an honor to work alongside our funders, friends, and partners in the effort to make effective mental health services accessible in all schools.
How can I bring TRAILS programming to my school?

TRAILS is working with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to onboard all Michigan ISDs. If you are Michigan-based and interested in bringing TRAILS programming to your school or district, we recommend that you contact your ISD superintendent and indicate that you would like to utilize 31p funding to onboard with TRAILS.

We look forward to collaborating with new partners!
TRAILS quick facts
9,106 participants in TRAILS trainings since the start of the pandemic

2,124 school staff accessing TRAILS SEL for the classroom

200 Michigan schools in 45 counties directly served by TRAILS

2 growing partnerships in Colorado and Massachusetts

70,000 unique visitors to the TRAILS website in the past year

50 US states and 125 countries represented in TRAILS website traffic

1,500 daily downloads of school mental health resources
TRAILS web user studies
TRAILS is committed to ensuring our resources meet your needs as you work to support the well-being of students.

As part of this continual improvement process, TRAILS often seeks feedback on design ideas, materials, and website improvements. As a small token of our appreciation, our feedback sessions are incentivized.

Whether you're a teacher, mental health professional, administrator, parent, or other friend of TRAILS, we would love to add your name to our prospective contact list! If participating in future surveys and studies is something that interests you, please click below to answer a few short questions.
TRAILS in the news

Channel 7 TV recently spoke with TRAILS Executive Director Elizabeth Koschmann and our partners at Washtenaw International High School for their story: Mental health challenges continue to rise for Michigan students amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Second Wave Media covered the TRAILS statewide expansion in their article, Michigan is expanding mental health services in schools -- and equipping teachers to implement them. This story is part of Second Wave Media's State of Health series, which documents how Michigan communities are rising to address health challenges.