Gov. Evers announced 2025 as the Year of the Kid at his 2025 State of the State address on January 22, 2025. He said: “...Making sure our kids are healthy—physically and mentally—is a crucial part of improving outcomes in our classrooms. But we have to connect the dots between school achievement and the challenges our kids are facing at home and in our communities.”

Gov. Evers laid out investments and policies to support children and their families, including an array of proposals to support schools, including expanding mental health resources, supporting childcare for families, and implementing better gun violence prevention measures. Additionally, he said he would propose ensuring that children have access to food and clean water by reintroducing his “Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids” plan, which would provide free lunch and breakfast in schools as well as addressing the issue of lead in water. 

Due to continued interest, we are extending registration for the 2025 YRBS! Schools with students in any grades between 6-12 are encouraged to participate in this important data collection. Schools can survey students now until June 13, 2025. The registration form and related information can be found on the Conducting A YRBS webpage, or you may use the link to the registration form. Registration will now remain open until March 17, 2025. Registration after that date will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Thank you to those schools who have already registered or administered the YRBS!

If you have any questions about registration, please contact Denise Kohout at denise.kohout@dpi.wi.gov or (608) 266-0282, or Casie Sulzle at casie.sulzle@dpi.wi.gov or (608) 266-7448.

DHS has received a federal grant through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support gathering information on suicide prevention programs and activities in Wisconsin. The goal of this effort is to understand what's happening around the state so that future programming avoids duplication of existing efforts, complements existing efforts, and fills gaps that may exist.

Make sure your agency's work is counted! If you have not yet done so, we encourage you complete the survey below to ensure your agency's crucial suicide prevention work is counted. Survey is open through September.

Youth events statewide can be found on the PATCH Calendar.