Buckeye Ranch fills post-pandemic need helping central Ohio students with mental health
On any given school day, Abby Smarkel works with students at Finland Middle School, part of the South-Western City School District, on issues ranging from suicide assessments to helping a kid having a bad day.
Smarkel is not a district employee, but a social worker with The Buckeye Ranch, a Columbus non-profit whose mission is to improve the mental health of area children.
Smarkel, who has been with the Buckeye Ranch behavioral and mental health program for children for two years, said she has seen an increase in anxiety, depression and inattentiveness in children. Part of the challenge, she said, is that children are not learning "problem-solving communication."
"I think our country in general is struggling," Smarkel said. "I think parents are struggling — if they're struggling, they're maybe not able to take care of the kids in that way."
The Buckeye Ranch school-based program, now in its second year, has expanded and includes social workers in 22 schools across Columbus City Schools, South-Western City School District, Reynoldsburg City Schools and Columbus Preparatory Academy.
What Smarkel likes about being placed in a school, she said, is that she can meet children where they're at.
"In some ways, we can catch kids sooner just because I'm here and the school is aware that I'm here," Smarkel said. "And I have that conversation with the student or with their family sooner — and it's a little bit more convenient."
Andrea Weisberger, director of education and early childhood mental health at The Buckeye Ranch, said the goal of the program is to reduce nonacademic barriers to academic success. She said the demand for the Columbus-based mental health care provider's services has shown the increasing need for social workers in schools.
"Oftentimes, schools come in and they're like, 'We need everything,' which we would love to be able to provide everything, and let's start with what is most pressing that you're struggling with the most," Weisberger said.
Student mental health still reeling from pandemic
In 2022, a National Center for Education Statistics study found that around 70% of public schools reported that the percent of students who sought mental health services from schools had increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. And by contrast, the same study found that only 13% of public schools "strongly agreed" and 43% "moderately agreed" that their school was able to effectively provide mental health services to all students in need.
The NCES study also found that around 45% of schools (around 51% urban, 42% in suburban) use nongovernmental organizations or nonprofits to address needs like mental or emotional health for students.
The Buckeye Ranch in-school program provides training for teachers, consultation with school staff on ways to provide a trauma-informed school, tips on mental health in addition to individual therapy, family therapy and teacher consultation on individual clients, Weisberger said.
Tyler Winner, Finland Middle School principal, said it would be impossible to provide the needed support to students without Buckeye Ranch.
"We've seen some students who've had some really high needs, who traditionally wouldn't be at school, be here at school because they know that support person from the Buckeye Ranch is here for them," Winner said.
Students who may need Buckeye Ranch services are identified by the school social worker, school counselors or administrators. Smarkel said the biggest thing the kids learn is how to recognize and regulate their emotions, as well as how to communicate and problem-solve.
"Slowing things down, being more mindful," Smarkel said about the social skills she teaches the children. "Working on recognizing what's going on, instead of reacting right away."
'Truly changed our families’ lives': program benefitting districts, students
Joel Grant, principal of Binns Elementary, a Columbus City school also partners with Buckeye Ranch, said the social worker sent to the school "came in and truly changed our families’ lives."
"I cannot stress how this builds trust and opens doors for our kids later in life," Grant said. "In our two years of working together, our students have increased overall time spent learning and instructional time has been maximized."
Winner said he is grateful that South-Western City Schools provides "everything we can" to the Finland Middle School students.
"I think our parents trust us here at the school because they know we're working hard for their kids," Winner said. "So when we say 'Hey, we've got this opportunity to do (treatment) here at school,' they view school as a safe space. For them to be able to get this additional support in a place they're already comfortable with, I think is huge for parents."
One of the limitations of continuing to expand the program, Weisberger said, is funding. While many social workers in the program are at no-cost to the district through Medicaid, other schools The Buckeye Ranch works with are contracted and can offer a wider range of services. Another limitation is capacity.
"When a school calls and says 'We desperately need help,' I have to tell them at the current moment, we just don't have capacity to add another school," Weisberger said. "Really, every single school — I don't care if it's with (The Buckeye Ranch) or not —every single school should have a mental health clinician."
Smarkel said she wanted parents in central Ohio to know that "their child matters."
"If we as a society and culture wants things to get better, we need to invest in our kids in mental health and emotional health."
@Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Buckeye Ranch program connects social workers, kids in Ohio schools
