National Center for School Mental Health: Supporting the Chicago Parent Program in Maryland Public Schools
The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), based at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, seeks to strengthen policies and programs that improve child and youth mental health and well-being in schools. Recently, we sat down with clinical psychologist Samantha Reaves and lead training specialist Kelly Schaffer from NCSMH to learn more about the National Center and, more specifically, its partnership with the Chicago Parent Program.
CPP is one of the many school-based mental health projects led by NCSMH and is conducted in partnership with the Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports. This statewide initiative, established through the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Act of 2021, invests $100 million annually in community behavioral health organizations to expand access to mental health services in schools. As part of this initiative, NCSMH provides training and implementation support for evidence-based practices delivered by community behavioral health clinicians working in partnership with schools. The Chicago Parent Program was selected as one of the Consortium’s priority evidence-based programs because of its strong research base, alignment with the needs of families served in school communities, and accessibility for diverse and historically underserved families. It is through this mechanism that some Maryland schools have been able to offer CPP. Other strategies for financing CPP in Maryland schools have included using Title 1 funds, using federal dollars given to schools serving students from low-income families to support parent engagement and learning needs, and “Judy Center” funds. Judy Centers are publicly funded early childhood programs in Maryland that provide comprehensive support to young children, birth to age 5, and their families.
In addition to providing technical assistance for training school mental health clinicians in CPP and supporting CPP implementation in schools, NCSMH evaluates satisfaction and program impact. Schaffer and Reaves reported that schools using CPP have been very pleased with the program. They noted that school mental health clinicians and parents find the CPP curriculum easy to use, with strategies that are clear and understandable. Schaffer added that parents particularly like the CPP videos, a unique aspect of the program used to generate discussion and problem-solving among parents and help them visualize how strategies can work.
They also described some of the logistical challenges clinicians have experienced when implementing CPP groups in schools, such as finding a time that works for all parents and addressing concerns about the 12-session commitment which can feel daunting for many parents. In response to these challenges, one CPP grantee has been pilot testing CPPi in schools. CPPi is an individualized adaptation of CPP that retains all CPP’s core features while flexing to parents’ unique schedules and needs. For more information about CPP-Individualized, see our Winter 2026 CPP Newsletter.
A new round of applications to the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission seeking funds to implement mental health services in schools is being reviewed with hopefully more schools getting much needed support for implementing CPP with their families. Visit the National Center for School Mental Health website for more information.