When the Maternal and Child Health Bureau implemented an initiative in 1995 to support mental health for school-age children and youth by strengthening the capacity of school-linked health programs to address psychosocial issues and mental health problems, two national centers and five state projects were developed. The work of projects in Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, and South Carolina and the centers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Maryland at Baltimore are outlined. Outlined are complimentary activities of the projects and national centers. For example, the University of Maryland center has created a major annual national conference dedicated to advancing school mental health. The center at UCLA collaborated with other organizations on regional and national invitational meetings designed to advance strategic objectives. Other complementary activities are seen with needs assessment and resource mapping. The Baltimore center focuses on clarifying the mental health needs of students and maps the services schools provide for meeting needs. The center at UCLA focuses on clarifying policy considerations that have resulted in fragmented and marginalized approaches to mental health in schools. The document concludes with a discussion of ways to enhance the continuing development of initiatives to foster widespread adoption in of mental health programs in schools. (Contains 35 references and one appendix.) (Author/JDM)