Reflections and Highlights from FY 2025
Letter from the President and CEO
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Throughout 2025, I’ve contemplated the question of how individuals and organizations successfully navigate change. In my discussions with and observations of other leaders in the nonprofit sector, I’ve been continually reminded of the importance of self-reflection, making meaning of experiences for yourself and others, continuously learning and innovating, and forging new strategic partnerships. Resilient leaders and organizations are willing to let go of the frameworks and strategies that ignited past successes and adopt new strategies that better position them for the future. Those are the skills that allow individuals and organizations to not only survive amid change, but thrive.
I believe those principles and practices are just as true for large and complex systems like children’s behavioral health. All around us, we see change. New challenges, threats, and opportunities. How do we view these changing circumstances? What new skills do we need to develop? What new learning and insights are emerging about ourselves and our work? What changes must we make to our frameworks and tactics to continue pursuing an important mission? How can we partner with others who are working toward the same goals? The answers to these questions are rarely simple or straightforward, and the path to finding them can be winding. Like many of you, we are still figuring it out.
Imperfect as we are, I am proud of the way that CHDI has responded to the challenges of 2025 to remain a vital resource to children and families and the systems that serve them. I am also proud to work alongside so many extraordinary people throughout the children’s behavioral health system who are doing the hard work of challenging old approaches, planning against the backdrop of an uncertain future, and putting the needs of children and families first. You all give me hope!
This year, with the support of our Board, funders, and partners, CHDI meaningfully and measurably advanced all areas of our strategic plan. Our team continues to design and implement bold and creative initiatives that are adding value to the system and improving equitable access, quality, and outcomes of behavioral health care.
Our comprehensive school mental health programs were implemented in over 300 schools, and we continued piloting a new school-based peer support model as well as a new elementary-school version of the School-Based Diversion Initiative (SBDI). In the quality improvement area, we launched a new initiative to better meet the needs of youth in therapeutic foster care, and we designed several new interactive data dashboards to monitor service access, quality, and outcomes in real time and more effectively tell the story of the programs and services in our system.
In the evidence-based treatment area, new federally funded initiatives are laying the groundwork to expand integrated care for youth with co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions. In the system and policy area, we established a new children’s behavioral health workforce center and launched a system-level data dashboard for the state of Connecticut that will inform policy and decision-making. Continuing to expand our work outside of our home state, we provided training and technical assistance to state agencies and providers in Minnesota, Texas, Louisiana, and California.
Organizationally, we continued to push forward this year, welcoming nine new staff and moving into a new office space that better fits our growing team. We launched a new and improved website to make it easier for providers, partners, and policymakers to find resources, reports, and information. We continue to operate a fiscally responsible and thriving organization that is effectively stewarding resources and advancing the mission. And despite the many changes that 2025 presented to us, we were delighted with a third-place finish in the small-to-medium business category for the Hartford Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in Connecticut – our highest ranking ever!
CHDI staff at the 2025 holiday party
Scroll down to view an infographic with more highlights from 2025 (or download it as a PDF here!).
At CHDI, we share a belief with all our partners that young people with behavioral health needs and their families deserve the very best. The best system. The best services. The best workforce, data, training, technical assistance, and support. I wish I knew the challenges the future holds. What I do know is that we will continue to bring our very best every day, continuously improving, innovating, and learning. Together with our partners, we can face an uncertain future and come out better than ever. Our children deserve all that, and more.
Best wishes for a peaceful and joyous holiday season, and a happy and healthy new year!
Jeffrey J. Vanderploeg, PhD
President and CEO
Child Health and Development Institute
