Thursday, October 10, 2024
10/10/2024
The West Virginia Department of Education's (WVDE) 2020 Project AWARE will advance the wellness and resilience of West Virginia students by collaborating with local education agencies, schools, communities, and families to address the social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs of our students. By leveraging stakeholders' resources we will use our varied talents, strengths, and funds to serve our most precious resource - our children. Project AWARE will enable state and local partners to develop a model of sustainable plans and strategies to improve school culture statewide, increase student well-being and success, prepare educators, strengthen collaboration between the state and LEAs, and forge community connections to link and leverage available community resources that serve children and families. This grant will serve approximately 10,000 students, and 1,500 educators and other adults annually; serving approximately 50,000 students and 7,500 educators and other adults over the five-year course of the project. West Virginia (WV), home to about 1.8 million people across 24,038 rugged square miles, ranks 43rd of 50 states in overall child well-being. It's economic deterioration has been exacerbated by the state's opioid crisis, which alone costs the state's economy $8.8 billion a year - the highest per-capita burden in the country. The project will focus on three counties - Cabell, Clay, and Harrison - which in 2019 were all designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) in mental health. Cabell County led the state in fatal overdoses in 2018, with its students showing low attendance, middle and high school math scores, and school completion. Clay County is deemed distressed by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), with more than 25% of its citizens living in poverty, and a disproportionately high number (around 34%) of homeless students. Harrison County has three distressed areas according to the ARC, and had 417 students experiencing homelessness in the 2018-2019 school year. WVDE's Project AWARE will meet its overall project goals of increasing the capacity of state and local educational and behavioral health systems to provide direct, comprehensive services to students and to increase awareness of and training in mental health through evidence-based practices including Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Expanded School Mental Health (ESMH). The project schools will receive focused guidance, support, and technical assistance to improve, increase, and strengthen the mental health services available to students and their families, and a licensed mental health professional to provide direct, on-site services as well as to coordinate care through outside service providers. Project evaluation will consist of both process and outcome measures, assessing, among other things, infrastructure development, service delivery, and sustainability in addressing students' mental health needs. This approach will ensure that goals are met and initiatives are effective, and will promote wide-scale adoption of successful practices and programs.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
