Commissioner’s Memo to Friends of Education
ANGELICA
Investing in Mental and Behavioral Health Supports
As we begin this new year, the Rhode Island Department of Education is recommitting itself to improving and expanding access to mental and behavioral health supports in our schools.
Recently, we announced RIDE was awarded a four year, $7.2 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to expand Project AWARE into four additional local education agencies.
The purpose of Project AWARE is to increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth and to provide training for school personnel to detect mental health issues, respond to them, and connect the affected students’ families to needed services.
In addition to the $7.2 million grant, RIDE received a five year, $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to recruit and retain mental health service providers to further support student wellbeing across the state. We are deeply appreciative of the RIDE staff who worked hard to secure these funds!
We send our gratitude to the uniquely trained and committed school psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other mental health providers making a positive impact on our students each day.
Thank you for weaving emotional well-being into the very fabric of our schools.
Together we are building the support systems our students need to thrive in the classroom and beyond!
In partnership,
Angélica Infante-Green