Vancouver Public Schools will hire mental health providers for each of its secondary schools using a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the district announced Friday.
The district is one of several hundred schools nationwide to receive a four-year federal school-based mental health services grant. It will serve at least 7,500 middle and high school youth and families across the district, according to a press release.
“We are grateful that the (Department of Education) has prioritized this need for students,” said Jeff Snell, Vancouver Public Schools superintendent. “This additional support will not only allow us to maintain essential mental health offerings for students but also offer them in a way that our diverse mix of students can relate to and utilize.”
The grant will provide funding to hire and retain school-based mental health providers and increase the diversity and cultural competency of providers, according to the release.
“Our goal is to increase mental health literacy and destigmatize mental health,” said Catherine MacCallum-Ceballos, director of community schools at Vancouver Public Schools.
Vancouver Public Schools hopes to hire 14 mental health providers, one for each secondary school, according to MacCallum-Ceballos. Applications will likely open next week. The district plans to be intentional about hiring mental health providers of color and providers who speak Spanish, she added.
Providers serve students in school and also work with families through evening events and one-on-one interactions, according to MacCallum-Ceballos.
The news of this grant is being celebrated within the mental health community in Vancouver.
“Anytime we can help young people and meet them where they’re at … it’s just far more effective,” said DeDe Sieler, behavioral health program manager at Clark County Community Services. “It is our job to destigmatize mental health not only for young people but across the community.”
This funding is crucial especially now, as more youth are struggling with their mental health and experiencing symptoms of isolation, anxiety and depression since coming out of the pandemic, according to Sieler.
The funding comes just as federal funding through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund granted during the pandemic is set sunset at the end of 2023, according to the release.
“There is no doubt that having supports like these for students is critical for their success, and better all around for the community,” Snell said.
