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Closegap

Monitoring and intervention for K-12 mental health

Schools are on the frontlines of the youth mental health crisis. Closegap equips schools with the technology to more effectively support students. Through a fun, interactive daily check-in for students, Closegap captures need-to-know information (emotions, energy level, physical needs) and delivers it to educators and school counselors through an easy-to-use dashboard to intervene in real-time.

HundrED 2024
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Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

HundrED Global Collection 2024

Web presence

2019

Established

300K

Children

27

Countries
Target group
Students basic
Updated
September 2024
We want every child to develop the skills to understand their emotions and internal world, and develop healthy attachment with at least one trusted adult. We believe the public school system can and should provide an effective safety net for students and foster equitable mental health support, so children who face early adversity have the tools to flourish and become healthy, regulated adults.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Youth mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and suicide, have been on the rise for the past decade, and compounded by the pandemic. Schools are on the frontlines of this crisis, and while they represent an enormous opportunity to strengthen our mental health safety net, they are under-resourced and largely unequipped to monitor student needs in real time and at scale.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Closegap equips K-12 schools with the technology and data to more effectively address youth mental health and emotional well-being. Through a fun, interactive daily check-in for students, Closegap captures need-to-know information from students (emotions, energy level, physical needs) and delivers it to educators and school counselors through an easy-to-use dashboard so they can intervene in real-time. Students learn to label, understand and regulate their emotions, and are provided with a new, direct line to school staff to express their emotional needs. School staff receive alerts, a daily triaged list of their students, and data visualisations to spot trends over time. The software is free, scalable and developmentally appropriate by grade level, so schools simply need an internet connection and devices. Schools using Closegap have prevented suicides and uncovered cases of self-harm, sexual assault, bullying, trouble at home, and more.

How has it been spreading?

Closegap has reached more than 300,000 students across all 50 states and many countries through word of mouth by educators. 77% of schools Closegap works with are Title 1 Schools. Demand for Closegap 10x’d during the pandemic as schools scrambled to meet the mental health needs of students. To date, over 7 million student check-ins have been completed. Of students who reported suicidal ideation or self-harm on Closegap in the past year, 100% are receiving counseling or other support services. Closegap earned a spot on Fast Company’s 2023 Most Innovative Companies list and was recognized as one of Anthem Awards’ 2022 Responsible Technology Products. Our next goal is to reach 1 million students.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Closegap is completely free for schools and does not require any training.
To sign up, visit: www.closegap.org;
Click "Sign up" and select your school role;
Then, follow the school set-up process.
We have a Help Centre and Resource Centre to help you set up your school and implement Closegap with your students. We can't wait to meet you!

Impact & scalability

HundrED Academy Reviews

People are starting to massively recognise the importance of treating depression or anxiety since COVID-19 happened. Closegap serves not only to take care of all pupils' mental health, but to deconstruct the taboo surrounding mental health issues.

Being mental health something that everyobody need to take care of, there is no wonder that this innovation can easily be implemented in all classrooms, as long as there is access to computer devices, and specially for post-pandemic times.

- Academy member
Academy review results
Impact
Scalability
Exceptional
High
Moderate
Limited
Insufficient
Exceptional
High
Moderate
Limited
Insufficient
Read more about our selection process

Implementation steps

Sign up for Closegap
Visit: www.closegap.org, click "Sign up" and select your school role.
Roster your students and staff
Follow Closegap's set up flow to roster your students and staff. Visit our help centre if you have any questions: https://closegaphelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us
Time for your students to check-in!
We recommend that students begin their day with a check-in and complete a check-in as often as they would like throughout the day! For more implementation resources, including Day 1 Lesson plans and best practices, please see our Resource Centre: https://closegaphelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us
Monitor check-in data and respond to students who need support
Log into your educator dashboard to understand how your students are doing. There, you will see a triaged list of your students, a summary of who requested to speak with an adult, and what specific challenges students shared in their check-ins.

Spread of the innovation

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