When Children’s Health Council (CHC) was selected by Google.org to participate in the 2025 Google.org Accelerator: Generative AI, joining just 20 organizations worldwide chosen from hundreds of applicants, it marked an important milestone in CHC’s work to expand access to trusted mental health and learning support for educators.
The highly competitive selection recognized CHC’s work on Ellis, an AI-powered resource designed to help K–12 educators respond to student mental health and learning needs with confidence and clarity. The six-month accelerator program launched in London and brought together organizations using generative AI for social good. Through the program, CHC received funding, mentorship from Google AI experts, and hands-on technical support, strengthening Ellis’ capabilities and advancing plans to scale the tool nationally in 2026.
Ellis was developed in response to a growing reality in classrooms across the United States. More than 11 million students experienced learning differences or mental health challenges, while educators navigated increasingly complex academic, emotional, and behavioral needs—often without timely access to evidence-based guidance.
Created in close partnership with clinicians, learning specialists, and educators, Ellis helped bridge this gap by delivering real-time, expert-informed strategies educators could use in the moment. Teachers described classroom situations using natural language, and Ellis responded with personalized, actionable recommendations grounded in trusted mental health and learning science.
As generative AI tools rapidly expanded, CHC’s work on Ellis was guided by a clear principle: educators and students deserved access to secure, reliable, and responsible information. Rather than relying on generic or unvetted sources, Ellis was built on trusted content from CHC and its partners, ensuring guidance reflected evidence-based practices and clinical expertise.
Ellis was intentionally designed to:
- Increase access to evidence-aligned mental health and learning strategies
- Strengthen educator confidence and capacity
- Reduce burnout by lightening the cognitive and emotional load educators carried
- Adapt as student needs evolved, supporting impact at scale
Participation in the Google.org Accelerator strengthened Ellis’ technical foundation while sharpening CHC’s approach to human-centered, responsible AI. Throughout the program, CHC worked closely with Google AI experts to enhance data security, reliability, and ethical safeguards—critical considerations when developing tools for schools and youth-serving environments.
The accelerator also marked an important step in expanding CHC’s mission beyond direct services. For more than 70 years, CHC supported children, teens, and families through evidence-based care. Ellis extended that legacy by empowering the adults who care for children every day and increasing access to trusted support across communities.
What’s Next for Ellis
Following the accelerator, CHC moved forward with plans to launch Ellis in partnership with schools and districts, working closely with educators to ensure the tool met real-world classroom needs. These collaborations focused on piloting Ellis in diverse learning environments, gathering feedback, and refining the platform to support educators at scale.
CHC also began exploring white-label opportunities that would allow school systems, nonprofit organizations, and education partners to integrate Ellis into their own platforms and ecosystems—extending access to trusted, evidence-based guidance while maintaining strong standards for safety, reliability, and ethical use.
As classrooms continued to face rising mental health needs, Ellis demonstrated how innovation, when guided by expertise, ethics, and compassion, could strengthen systems of care. CHC was proud to be part of a global cohort working to ensure generative AI served the public good—and to continue building tools that support the educators and communities caring for children every day.