LA County’s Keppel Union School District Sees Early Success with Daybreak Health’s New Teletherapy Program‍

This new school-based mental health program is providing much-needed support for all K-12 students and families

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SAN FRANCISCO (May 20, 2024) – Daybreak Health, the leading provider of school-based mental health services, has partnered with LA County’s Keppel Union School District to provide all K-12 students and families access to Daybreak’s evidence-based teletherapy programs for quick, year-round access to qualified clinicians—at no cost to families. 

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Dr. Solomon DeFrancis, Keppel Union’s Director of Student Services, reached out to Daybreak in early 2024 to discuss bringing a teletherapy program to their district so that they could increase access to school-based mental health supports and provide students and families more flexibility in when and where they could meet with their therapist.

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“After meeting with Daybreak, I was impressed with how quickly we were able to get our teletherapy program up and running,” shared Dr. DeFrancis. “It only took one month from our first meeting to getting students into care. We are already seeing the impact of this new mental health program.” 

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With this partnership, Keppel Union is able to expand access points to youth mental health support by making these services available to students and their families year-round, Monday-Saturday from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm. A dedicated clinical team is easily accessible and flexible, allowing students to participate in their sessions when and where it is most convenient for them, mitigating transportation and time barriers for families. 

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This new program rolled out in early March 2024 and the number of students who have already been referred to the program has exceeded the district’s yearly goal. Dr. DeFrancis attributes the success of this program to the best-in-class utilization playbook that Daybreak partnered with his team on. 

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“I am thrilled about the adoption and support of this program so far,” said Dr. DeFrancis. “The Daybreak team collaborated with us on a multi-pronged approach at the launch of the program which included staff and administrative training, support and education materials for staff, students, and families, and created multiple referral pathways.”  

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All K-12 students at Keppel Union can receive up to 12 weeks of teletherapy sessions with Daybreak’s qualified, bilingual clinicians. The program looks different if it is an elementary-aged student or a middle or high school student participating in teletherapy. If it’s an elementary-aged student, the program is designed to include their parent and/or guardian in the virtual sessions. If a child is over the age of 10, they can meet one-on-one with their therapist. 

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These mental health services are provided at no cost to families throughout the year. Daybreak has partnerships with insurers in the state of California, including Medi-Cal, and bills insurance on behalf of all eligible students.

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To date, the students who have been referred to the program have been almost 50/50 elementary vs. middle or high school students. Most students are being referred to Daybreak for stress, feelings of sadness, anger management, or grief/loss. The Daybreak team has successfully matched Keppel Union students to 15 unique clinicians based on each student’s individual preferences like gender, cultural background, language, and more. 

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“Based on our work with over 100 districts across the country, we have refined our implementation playbook to focus on the strategies that are directly correlated with strong utilization and engagement,” said Alex Alvarado, CEO and Co-Founder of Daybreak Health. “Our mission is to provide equitable access to mental health support and we are thrilled that students and families in the Keppel Union School District are now able to leverage these essential services.”

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To learn more about Keppel Union’s mental health services, reach out to Dr. Solomon DeFrancis, Keppel Union’s Director of Student Services, 661- 944- 2372.

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About Daybreak Health 

Daybreak Health partners with 100+ K12 districts across the country to provide mental health support to help students reach their full potential. Daybreak’s teletherapy and onsite programs are designed to give students and families equitable access to high-quality and culturally competent care to meet their unique needs—at no cost to families. Our evidence-based programs provide effective treatments that reduce crisis escalations, the need for Tier 3 interventions, and chronic absenteeism. To learn more about Daybreak, visit daybreakhealth.com.

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