Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools is one of 120 state and local school districts nationwide that will receive funding for Mental Health First Aid training through a special initiative of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services.
Lisa Garcia, KCKPS director of student services, and Beth Yoder Stein, Wyandot Inc. MHFA coordinator, submitted the successful application that ranked high in scoring and led to a grant of $99,960 for KCKPS.
This grant is part of President Obama and Vice President Biden’s “Now Is the Time” initiative. A total of $48 million in Project AWARE grants was announced for school districts in 28 states and departments of education in 20 states.
The local project is named “Reaching Our Youth.” Garcia and Yoder Stein will coordinate trainings using the MHFA youth curriculum for staff, parents, officers and others who have contact with KCKPS students. PACES-Wyandot Center certified MHFA trainers will provide support while KCKPS staff members receive certification.
“Our goal is to make a difference by preparing adults who interact with the youth to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and to encourage involvement. Our message is simple – mental illness is common, it’s treatable, and it’s OK to talk about,” Yoder Stein said. “This will be a great continued collaboration between our agencies and KCKPS.”
“By saturating the community with awareness and creating tools for strategies collectively, we aid in the development and success of our students academically and socially as well as emotionally,” Garcia said.
– Story from Wyandot Inc.