Huddle Up Partners with Massachusetts Head Start Association to Enhance Mental Health Services for Children and Families

BOSTON, July 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Huddle Up, the leader in supporting children's growth, development, and mental health, is excited to announce its groundbreaking sponsored partnership with Massachusetts Head Start Association. This collaboration aims to improve access to comprehensive mental health care for children from low-income families, ensuring they receive the support they need for their cognitive, social, and emotional development.

A Shared Commitment to Children's Well-being

Massachusetts Head Start Association has a long-standing tradition of promoting school readiness by enhancing the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children from birth to age five. Dr. Colleen Kraft, a Huddle Up board member, exemplifies the transformative power of Head Start. As part of the class of Head Start students in 1965, Dr. Kraft was encouraged to pursue her dreams and was told she should become a doctor. She went on to realize that dream, becoming a pediatrician and serving as President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as a professor of pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at USC.

"Head Start changed the trajectory of my life by providing me with the support and encouragement I needed at a young age," said Dr. Colleen Kraft, Board Member at Huddle Up. "Through the collaboration between Huddle Up and the Massachusetts Head Start Association, we can better support the growth, development and mental health of children and adolescents and create even greater opportunities for future generations to succeed and thrive."

Strengthening Mental Health Services

The partnership will focus on several key initiatives:

• Mental Health Consultations and Services: Huddle Up will offer mental health consultations, evaluations, and therapy sessions to children in Head Start programs across Massachusetts that choose to participate.
• Expanding IEP Support: Huddle Up will offer support to Head Start programs to continue partnerships with public school districts for Individualized Education Program (IEP) services, ensuring that children with special needs receive the tailored support to which they are legally entitled. These services extend beyond mental health, into school psychology, speech pathology, and occupational therapy.
• Sponsored outreach to programs for support and resources: Huddle Up will sponsor outreach efforts to Head Start programs to promote the consultations and services available, as well as sponsor educational sessions and resources for Huddle Up programs.

"Many of the children Head Start serves in Massachusetts are on waitlists for mental health services for a long time," said Michelle Haimowitz, Executive Director at Massachusetts Head Start Association. "Huddle Up gives our programs the opportunity for newfound access to mental health consultations and services across Massachusetts."

Looking Toward a Collaborative Future

This partnership is just the beginning of a more collaborative future between Huddle Up and Massachusetts Head Start Association. Together, the organizations aim to:

• Increase the supply of qualified mental health providers through apprenticeships and upskilling programs.
• Advocate for policy changes that support better mental health services in early childhood education.
• Develop and implement new strategies for integrating mental health support into everyday classroom activities.

Together, Huddle Up and Massachusetts Head Start Association are dedicated to fostering the growth, development, and mental health of children by actively engaging communities, supporting families and educators and creating a more inclusive learning environment for all.

For more information about Huddle Up and the Massachusetts Head Start Association, visit huddelupcare.com and massheadstart.org.

About Huddle Up

Huddle Up supports the growth, development and mental health of children and adolescents. By bringing together providers, families, and educators, Huddle Up creates a circle of support around children and adolescents, transforming the care experience and creating new levels of engagement and outcomes beyond traditional, in-person offerings. Technical innovation extends the high quality nationwide network of providers, enabling them through peer-to-peer interactions, speciality support and outcome driven personalization. Available in 50 states, and over 25 insurance plans, Huddle Up serves near a thousand schools in diverse regions throughout the nation. The company boasts nearly 900,000 sessions delivered, a 4.5/5 student star rating and a 96% provider retention rate.

Huddle Up serves children and adolescents with three solutions:

• IEP Huddle: A transformative solution that goes beyond traditional support of speech therapy, occupational therapy, school psychology, and mental health needs for the evaluation, care services, and management of IEP-related, 504, and RTI programs.
• All Student Huddle: A solution that extends mental health support to the entire population from Tier 1 screening and self-guided care to Tier 3 one-on-one individual service needs, and works in place of, or alongside SEL, tiered and MTSS offerings.
• Family Care Hub: An innovative, first-of-its-kind platform that empowers self-guided care, courses, and education for students and their families, bringing them together to create new levels of engagement and outcomes.

About Massachusetts Head Start Association

The Massachusetts Head Start Association serves as the voice of Head Start in Massachusetts by providing collaborative learning opportunities, leveraging partnerships, and advocating for Head Start programs.

Head Start is a federal program that provides high-quality early education and comprehensive services to vulnerable children and families. Head Start and Early Head Start serve pregnant women and children birth to age 5. Programs provide early education and comprehensive services, including health, mental health, nutrition, services for children with disabilities, and family services.

Contact Information:
Huddle Up
Nicola Kamath, CMO
[email protected]

SOURCE Huddle Up