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NVUSD recently expanded its successful Wellness Center programming to Napa High School and Vintage High School thanks to longstanding partnerships with the Napa Valley Education Foundation (NVEF) and through support from both Kaiser Permanente and the Napa Valley Vintners Association. The Napa Valley Unified School District and its partners have a history of investing in wellness resources and counseling through school-site Wellness Centers. Research shows that wellness services result in greater school and student outcomes, including improved academic performance, increased school engagement, reduction in suspensions and expulsions, decreased referrals to Special Education, and increased graduation rates.

"Having this space available to our students as a safe and calming option when they need a mental break has been incredible,” shared Napa High Assistant Principal Cheryl Lawton. “It allows students to stay in class and at school where they can remain productive and learning rather than needing to go home when they are feeling overwhelmed. We are also grateful to our art students and Wellness Center staff for creating such a welcoming environment. In only a few months' time, it has become the hub of our campus."

Seven campuses now house Wellness Centers, including American Canyon Middle School, Redwood Middle School, Silverado Middle School, Unidos Middle School, and American Canyon High School. The new high school Wellness Centers are youth-centered safe spaces, open before, during, and after school hours. Each Wellness Center is staffed with a wellness counselor, a school social worker, and a nurse. In addition, NVUSD is collaborating with VOICES to help our Wellness Centers engage students by providing full-time VOICES Youth Outreach Coordinators (YOC) at each high school campus. The YOC offers students onsite one-on-one supportive services, assists students in connecting to resources and service providers, and hosts workshops and events for and with students. 

Wellness Centers serve as crucial one-stop shops where students can check in with staff, connect with community providers and Peer Support, and receive support with academic, employment, housing, wellness services, and independent living skills. 

Want to learn more? 

Click here for an inside look at Vintage High School’s Wellness Center. Video created by VHS’s Peer Support students.   

Need to access support? Click Wellness Program Community Partners to obtain assistance directly or for a warm handoff from one of our trained school site mental health professionals.