Joined by Enrico Mowatt of Mirror Digital, Richard Chew talks to Robin Steans, president of Advance Illinois. 

Steans discussed the Illinois State Board of Education’s recently released Children’s Adversity Index, "which includes, I believe, 14 indicators that you can get data on at the school and district level," Steans explained, "that tell us how likely is it that a student is dealing with something significant that is going to affect their mental health and their well-being, such that we're going to want to try to get resources there. It actually puts all of our school districts on a 10-point scale looking at all of these indicators . . . to see who's dealing with what level of traumatic activity that we should be handling at the state better."

The state's mean score is 5.66, with Chicago registering at 6.85. The index highlights high stress in rural and urban areas, emphasizing the need for systematic state support. Steans noted that the state has been proactive in addressing student well-being, but the upcoming loss of federal funding for mental health services will exacerbate existing challenges. She urged parents and community leaders to engage with schools to support trauma-informed practices and resources. 

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