BrainAbouts expands mental health prevention education across HISD | Education

The John Fontaine Jr. Charity (JFJC) has announced the full onboarding of Houston Independent School District (HISD) into BrainAbouts®, a neuroscience-based prevention education program for PreK–12 students. This expansion marks a major milestone in JFJC’s mission to equip every student with tools for safer decision-making, emotional regulation, and long-term well-being.

In a move to ensure equity and access, BrainAbouts will continue to offer its program free of charge to schools with no or low budgets for mental health prevention education, ensuring that cost is never a barrier to essential support.

With HISD’s adoption, BrainAbouts will now reach more than 270 schools and impact over 180,000 students across Houston. This wide-scale rollout strengthens the district’s commitment to equipping students, educators, and families with resources that promote mental health, resilience, and safe decision-making.

“BrainAbouts blends evidence-based learning with compassion,” said Dr. Teandra Gordon, Chief Education Officer at BrainAbouts. “We’re empowering schools to address prevention and mental health education upstream, before issues escalate, by helping students build lifelong skills.”

New for 2025

Early Education Curriculum (PreK–2nd Grade) – This curriculum introduces 12 core character traits, such as empathy, respect, and responsibility, while fostering foundational brain development and early decision-making skills.

Tier 3 Intervention Curriculum (Grades 6–12) – In collaboration with and endorsed by Dr. Anna Lembke of Stanford University, this specialized track supports students at greater risk or currently engaging in high-risk behavior, through interactive modules, real-world scenarios, and guided reflection tools.

The JFJC is committed to preventing high-risk behaviors so that no family has to experience the tragedy of losing a loved one. Through education, support, and open minds, JFJC helps children, adolescents, and the adults in their lives avoid high-risk behavior and make safer, healthier decisions. BrainAbouts equips students with the knowledge and tools to resist high-risk behaviors and mental health, while empowering the adults around them to offer meaningful support. Grounded in prevention science and mental health research, BrainAbouts delivers engaging, age-appropriate content on more than 30 high-risk topics, from substance use and peer pressure to emotional regulation and digital safety.

“HISD’s adoption of BrainAbouts is a powerful step toward ensuring every student has access to high-quality prevention education,” said René Zamore, Executive Director of JFJC. “Our partnership underscores that mental health support is not a privilege – it’s a necessity.”

Accessible 24/7 through a secure online portal, BrainAbouts provides videos, activity guides, and discussion tools for educators, students, and caregivers. Its flexible design integrates easily into schools of all sizes and budget levels, bridging prevention and intervention with both compassion and science.

For more information about the program, visit www.brainabouts.org.