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The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) was recently named a recipient of a five-year, $5.7 million federal grant to support mental health and student wellness.
The School Based Mental Health (SBMH) Grant from the U.S. Department of Education will aid in the development of an elementary school counseling program that aims to increase elementary students’ access to tiered counseling services and resources, according to a statement from the district.
"The continued impacts of the pandemic along with other challenges that our students face today, has made the need for mental health support continue to grow, not decline. This grant affords us the opportunity to provide some of that growth and we are excited about that," said Superintendent Chris Van Schaack.
District officials said the majority of the grant will be used to fund the expansion of LVJUSD’s mental health workforce. Over the course of five years, a full-time counselor will be phased into each of the district's nine elementary schools; a half-time counselor will be added at both Joe Michell and Junction TK-8 schools – both of which currently retain a full-time counselor to support middle school students – and two elementary school social workers will be hired to address needs throughout the district.
In addition to the staffing additions, grant funds will also be used to implement a research-based social emotional development curriculum vetted by the California Department of Education.
"Research shows that students who learn and practice skills such as self-awareness, self-management and relationship building perform better academically," said Liisa Hanninen-Danner, LVJUSD’s wellness coordinator and SBMH project director. "Other areas related to school success such as behavior and school climate improve as well. When we have the resources to develop those skills for students from an early age and concurrently provide additional interventions for those that need it, we are creating a system of support designed to meet the needs of each and every student. It’s a game changer," she added.
LVJUSD applied for the grant in November of 2022 and awards were announced last week.
District officials said one of the driving forces behind pursuing this grant was feedback from caregivers, teachers and staff gathered from the district's recent Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) surveys which identified additional counseling support at the elementary level as an important need.
Through SBMH, the Department of Education is investing more than $141 million to 103 states and school districts to increase the number of qualified mental health services providers delivering school-based mental health services to students, said Department of Education officials in a statement.
Funding for the grant is provided by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
"This grant provides an opportunity to expand our mental health staff with highly-qualified, diverse candidates who are reflective of our community," said Amy Robbins, LVJUSD’s executive director of human resources. "Our District will play a role in collaborating with local universities to create an ongoing pipeline of qualified candidates, while also providing scholarship opportunities for current employees to respecialize and train to become school mental health staff," she added.
While the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated mental health challenges for all age groups, student wellness has been a longstanding issue nationwide.
"Even before the pandemic, the wellbeing of many students was unmet due to insufficient access to high-quality mental health care," Department of Education officials said. "For years, schools have struggled to meet the recommended ratios for school-based mental health professionals, and this is especially true in schools with more underserved students. Now, the mental health crisis facing students has reached a critical point with more than one in three high school students reported experiencing poor mental health during the height of the pandemic."
Prior to receiving this grant, LVJUSD has made other efforts to prioritize mental health over the years, including creation of wellness centers and the development of a mental health website as well as training staff, parents and students in Youth Mental Health First Aid and Teen Mental Health First Aid.
The city's Horizons Family Counseling program – a division within the police department – is also expanding its youth mental health services. At its Feb. 13 regular meeting, the City Council approved a resolution increasing the hours for the Horizons' family therapist to provide school-based counseling in designated schools within LVJUSD.
The district and Horizons have worked together for more than two decades to provide mental health services to support students and their families.
Separate from the SBMH grant, LVJUSD has received $90,000 from the Federal American Rescue Plan Act/Mental Health Student Services Act, which allows youth to access mental health services in locations that are easily accessible to students and their families – such as schools.
The district has also received $30,000 from the Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program to support school-based counseling services. Horizons Family Counseling was chosen by LVJUSD as a sub-recipient of those grants to receive $120,000 annually for the next two years to provide school-based counseling services for Livermore youth. Money from these other grants will go toward funding the additional hours added to the family therapist position.
