National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention

1
National Center for Mental Health Promotion and
Youth Violence Prevention

• Evelyn Frankford
• Nancy Kelly
• Woody Clift

www.promoteprevent.org
2
Putting the Pieces Together

• Safe Schools Healthy Students (SS/HS) is a grant
  program that provides students, schools, and
  communities with federal funding to implement an
  enhanced, coordinated comprehensive plan of
  activities, programs and services that focus on
  promoting healthy youth development and
  preventing violence and alcohol and other drug
  abuse.
• - 2004 SSHS Request for Proposals

3
Putting the Pieces Together

• Full Service Community Schools are public schools
  composed of deliberate partnerships that support
  and strengthen opportunities for students,
  families, and the surrounding community.

4
Putting the Pieces Together

• Applicants for Safe Schools Healthy Students
  (SSHS) must address six elements as part of
  their comprehensive plan. The plan must be
  integrated, comprehensive, communitywide, and
  community-specific in promoting healthy youth
  development and reducing barriers to learning.
• -2004 SSHS Request for Proposals

5
Putting the Pieces Together

• The Six Elements of a SSHS Vision include (see
  handout)
• Safe school environment
• Alcohol and other drugs and violence prevention
  and early intervention programs
• School and community mental health preventive and
  treatment intervention services
• Early childhood psychosocial and emotional
  development programs
• Supporting and connecting schools and communities
• Safe school policies

6
Putting the Pieces Together

• Full Service Community Schools elements
• A strong core instructional program designed to
  help all students meet high academic standards
• Enrichment activities designed to expand
  students learning opportunities and to support
  their cognitive, social, emotional, moral and
  physical development
• A full range of health and mental health services
  designed to safeguard childrens well-being and
  remove barriers to learning

7
Puzzler

• What currently exists in your community from
  which you could build upon towards achieving your
  vision?

8
C-BAM A Big Piece of the Puzzle
IMPACT
TASK
SELF
Hall Hord, p. 63
9
Ideas for leader
What piece goes where?
IMPACT
TASK
SELF
10
How the Puzzle Thinks

• Stage 1 Lack of awarenessBeing unaware of the
  importance of school safety, supportive
  environments, student mental health, and their
  links to academic improvement.
• Stage 2 AwarenessBecoming aware of the
  importance of school safety, supportive
  environments, student mental health, and their
  links to academic improvement.
• Stage 3 UrgencyFeeling a need to address these
  matters.
• Stage 4 Looking for answersSearching for ways
  to improve school safety, student support,
  student mental health, and academic performance.

• Stage 5 ResistanceResisting possible solutions.
• Stage 6 Weighing the choicesRationally weighing
  choices and balancing the pros and cons of
  different choices.
• Stage 7 Intellectual acceptanceChanging their
  attitude so that they are ready to support the
  school improvement effort.
• Stage 8 Full acceptanceImplementing an
  individual and a schoolwide commitment to change
  behavior and to implement change to benefit the
  school community as a whole.

Yankelovich, 1991 Osher, Dwyer, Jackson, 2004
11
Are you ready to put the pieces together?

• Step 1 Build and/or strengthen coalition
• Step 2 Assess your community
• Step 3 Articulate and communicate your vision
• Step 4 Outline your strategic plan
• Step 5 Submit your plan

12
Accept your role as an Agent of Change

• Once receiving award, stay focused on the change
  you have envisioned.
• Remember that change is
• A PROCESS, not an event
• Made by INDIVIDUALS first, then institutions
• A highly PERSONAL experience
• Entails DEVELOPMENTAL growth in feelings and
  skills

13
Putting the Pieces Together Utica, NYProject
Director, Nancy Kelly

• 9,300 students from 37 countries
• 70 free or reduced lunch
• 53 White, 30 Black, 12 Hispanic, 5 other
• 16 receive special education services
• 14 English as Second Language Students
• 89 million general fund budget (9,570 per
  student)
• 1500 employees
• 12 schools (9 Elementary, 2 Middle, 1 High
  School)

14
SS/HS Grant Making a Difference

• Utica received 2,000,000.00 per year for three
  years beginning in 2001.
• Implemented more than 37 evidenced based programs
  and services for the children and families of the
  Utica City School District.
• Contracted with more than 25 local community
  agencies to provide programs and services to the
  children and families of the Utica City School
  District.

15
SS/HS Grant Making A Difference

• Established a database system to provide
  comprehensive district reporting and
  communication with the school district, city,
  county departments and agencies.
• Built a sustainable initiative through
  collaboration with community agencies, government
  departments, local colleges/universities,
  Communities That Care, and neighborhoods.

16
Realities for School and Families

• Persistent poverty
• Educational inequity
• Widening achievement gap
• Changing family patterns
• Inadequate community supports
• Changing demographics
• Concerns about school violence
• New housing for Cornhill

17
HOPE VI In Utica, NY

• Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School
  enrollment 200 98 free or reduced lunch
• Community School Collaboration City, MHA, SSHS,
  Hamilton College, UCSD

18
The Making of A Community School

• Key ingredients that have helped shape Community
  Schools
• Education First
• Collaboration
• Partners, Not Tenants
• A Long-Term Commitment
• Integrated Services
• High Level of Parent and Community Involvement
• Before and After School Programs

19
Strategies For Building A Strong Initiative

• All schools should be Community Schools
• Schools have the students and agencies have the
  services. By linking the two, students will be
  successful.
• Must use evidence-based programs

20
Strategies For Building A Strong Initiative

• Must have a student and program database to avoid
  duplication and track results
• Must provide a single point of entry into
  services. This should take place at individual
  school sites.
• This is a structured change, not management by
  crisis

21
Putting the Pieces Together

• Safe Schools Healthy Students can serve as a
  catalyst for change in achieving your full
  service community schools vision.
• Both require commitment, comprehensive design,
  collaboration, and an understanding of change as
  a process.
• Both must begin with broad based assessment and
  informed action planning.
• Both are non-linear processes