This summer, Iowa is slated to get a new statewide school mental health center to expand support for mental health in the state’s pre-K-12 schools. Services are planned to begin in the summer and continue through the 2021-22 school year.
The new Iowa Center for School Mental Health is to provide training, resources and outreach on mental health needs to educators and schools across the state.
Currently in the planning stages, the center will be a partnership between the Iowa Department of Education (IDOE) and the University of Iowa College of Education.
It will leverage the capacities of both the IDOE and the University of Iowa College of Education’s Baker Teacher Leader Center to expand training opportunities for student teachers and practicing teachers, provide professional development resources and services to support mental health needs in schools, and conduct research on the effective delivery of these services to students.
In addition, $20 million dollars in federal coronavirus relief appropriations to the state will help support the center’s work. The IDOE has designated the federal funds to help the new center as part of the state’s educational efforts to address urgent issues caused by COVID-19.
Creation of the center is part of a statewide initiative to support student well-being and mental health through new partnerships and strategies that help all Iowa students be future ready.
Services provided are to include crisis response services, face-to-face and online training and coaching for teachers, strategic planning support, needs assessment and program evaluation of social-emotional learning, and positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) implementation.
“The Iowa Center for School Mental Health further reinforces our commitment to ensuring Iowa’s youth have all the tools they need to be successful in school and in life,” stated Iowa governor Kim Reynolds. “This partnership between the Department of Education and the University of Iowa College of Education will better prepare schools and teachers to meet the behavioral and mental health needs of Iowa’s K-12 students, a role that’s increasingly important in a post-pandemic world.”
Mount Vernon School District welcomes additional support for mental health services in its schools, said superintendent Greg Batenhorst, especially support for teacher professional development to increase teacher skills in serving students’ social-emotional needs:
“The social-emotional well-being of all our students has always been one of our highest priorities,” Batenhorst said, “and any support in the area of mental health services is greatly appreciated.”
“I am especially interested in the support they [the new center] may be able to provide with regard to professional development to help our teachers continue to develop the skills necessary to feel as comfortable in serving the social-emotional needs of students as they do the academic needs of students.”