On The M List: BrightLife Kids is providing free 1-1 support for families with children ages 0-12
Thank you to BrightLife Kids for sponsoring this post and helping us get the word out. Please share with any CA parents you know!
BrightLife Kids is here!
What you need to know: Created by Brightline (an industry leader in pediatric mental health) and 100% paid for by the State of California, BrightLife Kids offers free behavioral health coaching to all kids ages 0–12 who live in California.
Say that again?!
Yep, mental health and behavioral support via 1-1 virtual appointments with trained coaches is 100% covered for kids ages 0-12 and their caregivers!
Insurance isn’t required, no referrals are needed, and there is no cost to the families.
Coaching is done in private, 1:1 video sessions and via secure chat. Families are matched with a dedicated coach, so there’s no starting over each time. And families also have access to on-demand digital resources like articles and videos that can help between sessions.
Sign up your familty for BrightLife Kids today! And please tell any parent friends in California!
BrightLife Kids is fast, simple, secure, and 100% free.
About BrightLife coaches:
With any offer that seems too good to be true (like magical government-funded 1-1 mental health and behavior support provided by real, human coaches), moms get skeptical and want to kick the tires. The Mamahood’s been asked, who are these coaches anyway? And what kinds of qualifications do they have regarding education, experience or training?
Here’s what we’ve got on that.
✔ They have a Master's degree in a health-related field OR
✔ A Bachelor's degree *plus*:
→ Coaching Certification(s) from NBHWC National Board for Heath and Wellness Coaching) or ICF (International Coaching Federation)
→ 5+ years of direct experience working with children, youth, families
→ 80 hours of skills and tools development upon hiring.
✔ They are from diverse backgrounds (just like the families they work with) , and have training and experience with LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and gender-diverse populations.
✔ Many coaches are bilingual in English and Spanish (coaching is also available in 17 other languages through interpreter services) and are experienced working with those who have LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and other important identities.
✔ Coaches are able to understand and support common issues that affect the behavioral health of kids ages 0–12, including sadness, worry, anger, social challenges, family relationships, difficulties with friends, bullying, self-confidence, and more.
✔ They’re uniquely qualified to coach kids and who know when it’s time to refer families to a higher level of support.
Get matched with a coach today and see what you think of them yourself! We’d love to hear about your experience.
Who and how can they support?
Infants/Toddlers (Ages 0–4)
Coaching for new(ish) parents/caregivers of Infants/Toddlers
✔ Learn how to identify typical development milestones and when it’s time to seek help
✔ Help kids make friends and show kindness
✔ Work through frustration/tantrums with toddlers
✔ Build patience with defiant behavior
✔ Get kids to try new things, places, and foods
✔ Expand vocabulary and ways to communicate
✔ Create strategies for separation anxiety
✔ And more
Kids (Ages 5–8)
Coaching for kids ages 5-8 and parents/caregivers
✔ Learn to express big emotions like sadness, worry, and anger in healthy ways
✔ Encourage age-appropriate independence and responsibility
✔ Balance alone time with social time
✔ Build organizational skills that help at school and at home
✔ Eat to fuel growing bodies
✔ Allow/balance/manage time on screens
✔ And more
Tweens (Ages 9–12)
Coaching for tweens and parents/caregivers
✔ Set boundaries online/on social media (how much is okay and how to use it safely)
✔ Help kids stay true to themselves when peer pressure starts
✔ Improve friendships at school and relationships at home
✔ Manage relationships at home and friendships at school
✔ Develop healthy ways to solve issues with sleep, school, and stress
✔ Foster self-acceptance, acceptance of others, and and personal values
✔ And more
BrightLife Kids can help kids with:
✔ Boosting confidence
✔ Focusing on lessons
✔ Managing sadness, worry, or anger
✔ Making and keeping friends
✔ Listening in class
✔ Talking about feelings
✔ Reducing screen time
✔ Organizing classwork
✔ Finding connections when feeling left out
✔ Using social media wisely
✔ Finishing homework
✔ Combating bullying
BrightLife Kids, a CalHOPE program by Brightline.
FAQs
Who is BrightLife Kids for?
BrightLife Kids is for all kids ages 0–12 who live in California. Kids discover ways to manage worry, how to express big feelings like anger or frustration in healthy ways, and how to navigate things like friendships, school, and stress.
Parents and caregivers can also turn to BrightLife Kids for expert advice and peer support around how to handle milestones, phases, and challenging behaviors.
Do you need to be a U.S. citizen?
No. You do not need to be a U.S. citizen but must be living in California.
Do you need insurance?
No. Insurance is not needed to use the BrightLife Kids program.
Is BrightLife Kids really free?
Yes. BrightLife Kids is a program that is entirely paid for by the Children and
Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI). The CYBHI is a $4.7B package of
investments initiated by Governor Gavin Newsom to support California’s kids.
One of the goals is to give kids and families the opportunity to receive expert
behavioral health support in an easy-to-access, digital format, at no cost to
the families.
What age ranges can benefit from BrightLife Kids?
Kids ages 0–12 and their parents/caregivers.
What about for kids older than 12 years old?
BrightLife’s partner Kooth has created a program called Soluna that was built to
support youth from 13–25 years old. Please visit SolunaApp.com to get more
information.
How do I know if we need coaching or therapy?
BrightLife Kids coaches are here to teach skills that help kids navigate through everyday challenges. They support parents and caregivers, too, by helping guide them through milestones, phases, and tough behaviors. So coaching is a great place to start — for all kids and parents/caregivers. Our coaches are also trained to know when a family might benefit from seeing a therapist, psychologist, or other professional. If that is the case for your family, your coach can bring a BrightLife Kids Care Guide in to help you with that transition.
How is BrightLife Kids different from school counselors?
School counselors care for every student, every day. They are a great in-person support, especially for kids with complex needs. But sometimes issues or questions come up after school, on weekends, and over holidays. Think of BrightLife Kids — with our 1:1 live coaching over video and on-demand resources — as an extra layer of support at no cost. We boost the support at school by helping with family, relationships, and the overall emotional development of children. Parents/caregivers and kids can get advice or information 24/7 from our library of articles and videos. They can also send a secure message to their coach anytime or schedule a private 1:1 coaching session from home, school, or wherever they are.
California parents with kids ages 0-12 years old, sign up for free support for yourself and your children today!