The COVID-19 outbreak highlighted the immediate need to prioritize student, teacher and school staff support. To weather this crisis, UCLA partnered with the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health (DMH) and established the DMH + UCLA Public Partnership for Wellbeing, a prevention-centered collaboration that integrated innovative programs to assist educators, students and their families in their transition to online and hybrid learning models.

These programs, such as the CSI, the Wellbeing for LA Learning Center, the Prevention Center of Excellence, and the UCLA Pritzker Center for Children and Families, not only addressed the stressors of managing the challenges of the pandemic on top of retaining student engagement and achievement, but presented solutions and resources to help mitigate them.