PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A new program is helping educators see the needs of their students in real-time.
Closegap is an online program that allows students to check in daily.
Not only can students share what is going on in their lives, the info goes to a dashboard where teachers can see it. It’s perfect for kids who have something to share but don’t want to walk up to a teacher or counselor.
Closegap’s CEO Rachel Miller says it’s available to every public school and is currently being used in every state and in 25 countries totaling over 3,500 schools.
It’s catered to different ages of kids, using more pictures for the younger ones, and a more in-depth experience for older kids.
Miller says mental health has always been a student issue and that using this tool daily will build and bolster social-emotional skills at every age level.
“It’s very much a moment for students to not only to share what their needs might be with the adults in their lives but also to reflect on their own emotional experience and what their needs had been.”
If schools and districts want to get involved and use close gap, it is 100% free, so districts can sign up as many staff, students and schools as they like. Best of all, there’s no training required.
More information is available on their official website, and schools can start using the software right away.