Kettering schools expand wellness programming and community supports; district cites thousands of telehealth sessions

Kettering district staff outlined expanded wellness supports and community partnerships during the March 3 board meeting, saying the district has increased staff-focused programming, launched building-level supports and relied on telehealth and community partners to reach families in need.

Carrie Hennessy, the district MTSS coordinator, described a fall employee wellness fair (the first since before COVID), monthly staff wellness challenges and building-based staff recharge spaces. She said the district partners with Kettering Health, Dayton Children’s and telehealth provider Cartwheel; a slide cited about 3,222 Cartwheel sessions delivered to students (presenter noted the slide number may be slightly out of date) and said the average number of sessions a student receives while in the district is 19.

Laura Tran, the youth and family resource coordinator, described 236 intakes between the start of the school year and January, explained how staff connect families with immediate needs (meals-in-a-bag, hygiene pantry, donated school supplies) and named community partners including Neighborhood for Design, the Kettering Police Department SROs and T-Mobile (150 free hotspots provided to families).

Why it matters: Board members and staff framed these programs as efforts to remove barriers to learning and keep students in school by addressing nonacademic needs such as food, housing and access to internet service.

What’s next: Staff said they will continue expanding partnerships, track program engagement and update the board on outcomes and resource needs.