Addressing Mental Health within a Coordinated School Health Approach
Demonstration Project - Request for Applications
HEALTHY KIDS
LEARN BETTER
For more information, contact:
Isabelle Barbour
Healthy Kids Learn Better Partnership
Oregon Department of Human Services
Adolescent Health Section
800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 825
Portland, OR97232
971-673-0376
Coordinated School Health Demonstration Project
Request for Applications
PURPOSE OF FUNDING
In response to the demonstrated need for mental health resources among school-aged children and youth, Healthy Kids Learn Better is expanding its Coordinated School Health Program to incorporate a mental health component. Four schools selected at the end of an application process and a site visitwill receive funding and support to assess the school environment, select a priority mental health issue, and develop and implement an action plan to positively address the issue. Because this is a demonstration project, selected schools will work with the project coordinator to pilot tools and strategies to address mental health utilizing a Coordinated School Health framework. In this project mental health is a continuum that includes not only mental problems but also mental wellness.
The Coordinated School Health framework is a model to address all health needs within a school building. This model, developed by the Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is composed of eight interactive components that represent different domains of school health. While Health Education and Physical Education are two of the eight interactive components of the CSH framework, the approach also includes staff from Nutrition Services, Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, as well as addressing the School Environment, Health Promotion for Staff, and Family and Community Involvement. Stakeholders from the school and community utilize assessment tools and planning strategies to address a priority health issue employing the points-of-view from all eight CSH components. The result is an interdisciplinary approach that directs the energy of a wide variety of stakeholders into an action plan addressing a priority student health topic.
This project is an outgrowth of the Coordinated School Health Expansion Project that examined the impact of a Coordinated School Health approach on education and health outcomes. The Coordinated School Health Mental Health Demonstration Project will expand the CSH program by developing tools and strategies aimed at improving access to a full continuum of mental health services and create environments that promote optimal social and emotional development.
1
Mental Health Demonstration Project
CSH 2007-08
ELIGIBILITY
Eligible applicants include:
- Individual public schools or public charter schools in Oregon
- Consortia are not eligible to apply
To build the capacity of schools that serve students with the highest needs, preference will be given to schools that have a higher:
- Percentage of students served with racial/ethnic backgrounds disproportionately impacted by chronic disease.
- Percentage of students living in poverty as measured by free and reduced lunch rates, or another recognized mechanism for measuring poverty.
- Geographic isolation.
School Readiness Considerations:
Preparing for comprehensive, school-wide change is essential to successfully adopt and develop a coordinated school health program. Education and health research have revealed a great deal about essential elements and conditions crucial to planning and implementing school-wide change to address the health and academic success of students. The following factors are essential elements to comprehensive, school-wide improvement:
- Strong leadership that is able to motivate school staff and community to actively participate in planning and decision making, this leadership values input received from staff, students, and the community.
- Sufficient time, personnel, and resources are dedicated to planning and implementing school-wide improvements and fostering collaborative activities with community partners.
- A school environment that fosters trust, collaboration, and respect among school staff, students and community.
- Policies, programs, and practices that promote clear, high expectations for academic success and positive health choices.
- Staff are empowered to actively participate in determining that change is necessary, beneficial, and worthy of their effort.
- High standards of professionalism are supported with meaningful professional development, collaboration and accountability.
- Data is used to uncover needs, set priorities, drive decisions, and evaluate effectiveness.
These key factors to school-wide planning & improvement will be considered as part of the selection process forthisCoordinated School Health Project.
FUNDS
Coordinated School Health- Mental Health Demonstration sites will be funded $10,000 for 1 year of participation*. Funds may be carried over to the following academic year. Grant funds must be spent by April 1, 2009. Project activities will include: school team participation in the Coordinated School Health Planning Institutes; convening a School Health Advisory Council; development of a CSH action plan; and tailored technical assistance. Funds may be used for substitute reimbursement, staffing and travel costs for participation in the CSH Planning Institutes. Any remaining funds are to be used to support school health advisory councils and the school’s CSH Action Plan.
Selected CSH sites are encouraged to seek funds from local foundations and businesses to support their CSH-Mental Health Action plan after the project year is complete. HKLB staff will work with select CSH sites to identify additional sources of funding. Meanwhile, interested applicants can use to identify potential sources of funding for their efforts.
*Contingent upon available funding.
REQUIREMENTS
To ensure capacity to develop a highly functioning coordinated school health program that addresses mental health, the District Superintendent and school administrator(s) will:
- Commit to a minimum of three (3) traveling team members to participate in all of the HKLB-sponsored institutes and complete all the steps of the CSH Planning & Implementation Process at their school.
- Commit to participate in the Oregon Healthy Teens Survey (OHT) at the middle and high school level and/ or Coordinated School Health Elementary Health Behavior Survey at the elementary level and the Oregon School Health Profiles Study at the middle and high school level.
- Commit to a minimum of two (2) CSH traveling team members and partners that will participate in a CSH Forum in the Winter of 2008.
- Complete mid-year and year-end CSH Progress and Fiscal Reports to be submitted to the Department of Human Services Adolescent Health Section. If funds are carried over to the following academic year, and final report is also required
IMPORTANT DEADLINES AND DATES
Application Due Date: Applications are due Thursday, March 15, 2007 by 5:00 p.m. Hard copies or faxed applications must be received by this time.
Completed applications can be sent or faxed to:
Isabelle Barbour
Division of Public Health
Adolescent Health Section
800 NE Oregon St., Suite 825
Portland, OR97212
Fax: 971-673-0240
Site Visit Arrangements: Selected applicants may be contacted in May of 2007 to arrange a site visit by an HKLB staff member. At the site visit the HKLB staff member must be able to address school staff in a meeting that has a minimum of 80% of staff.
Award Announcements: Finalists will be notified by June 6th 2007. It is imperative that the key contact provides a summer contact number.
CSH PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
Each CSH site will identify a “traveling team” to attend the series of the CSH Planning & Implementation Institutes. These Institutes are tentatively scheduled to be held at the Lane Education Service District in Eugene.
Required members of the traveling team include:
- A school administrator
- Counselor, health educator, or other classroom educator
- Community health partner (i.e. county public health, mental heath, or local commission on children and families)
The CSH Planning & Implementation sessions will provide the information, tools and skills necessary for the traveling teams to return home and work with a larger school-community group, henceforth the Healthy Kids Learn Better School Health Advisory Council (HKLB SHAC), to implement the designated steps of the CSH Planning & Implementation Process. The HKLB SHAC will include all members of the traveling team, plus a wide variety of members from the school and community, including but not limited to a physical educator, counselor, food service director/staff, parent or family member, business leader, clergy representative, district personnel, higher education professionals, school board member, community-based organizations, and students. The HKLB SHAC formation will occur as a part of the Planning and Implementation process. The HKLB SHAC will be responsible for guiding the development and implementation of the school’s Coordinated School Health action plan. Between each Institute, there will be specific steps for the HKLB SHAC to complete.
The HKLB Mental Health Coordinator at the Department of Human Services, Health Services, will be available to provide individualized on-site, phone and electronic technical assistance to schools between sessions upon request.
COORDINATED SCHOOL HEALTH PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
Each CSH site’s traveling team will attend a series of Institutes in order to prepare to implement each step of the planning process for developing a Coordinated School Health program. HKLB staff will provide the tools, resources, and skills necessary to build the local capacity of schools and communities to increase student access to mental health services and create environments that promote optimal social and emotional development.
Session
/Session Activity*
/When
1 / Overview of Coordinated School Health (CSH)CSH traveling team will be able to:
- Describe the CSH approach to addressing key student health needs.
- Describe key steps in building a CSH program and how these steps may be used to enhance the mental health of students.
- Identify guiding principles & practices that support successful systemic change in an educational setting.
CSH traveling team will be able to:
- Identify key members of their local SHAC to recruit.
- Explain the roles and responsibilities of SHAC members.
- Convene an introductory meeting of their SHAC.
- Facilitate regular SHAC meetings with the purpose of developing a CSH action plan.
CSH traveling team will be able to:
- Provide a definition of mental health.
- Describe the prevalence of mental problems in American children and youth.
- Describe key aspects of child and adolescent development that impact mental health.
- Describe the role of schools in promoting mental health.
Leadership Institute
CSH traveling team will develop their leadership skills to:- Facilitate meetings.
- Establish a communication plan with school staff & community members (develop key messages).
- Understand systems change.
- Negotiate best outcomes.
Overview of CoordinatedSchool Health Planning Institutes – please save the dates
When
2 / Developing a School Health ProfileCSH traveling team will be able to:
- Describe the purpose of the Oregon Healthy Teens Survey.
- Review relevant Oregon Healthy Teens data to develop a baseline for their school health profile.
- Identify various local student health data sources to build their school health profile.
CSH traveling team will be able to:
- Use local data from their Student Health Profile to develop a communication plan to support Coordinated School Health in their school and community.
- Deliver a presentation that links student health and educational success to key policymakers within their school district and community (i.e. superintendents, school board members, county commissioners).
CSH traveling team will be able to:
- Describe the purpose & value of the School Health Index in order to conduct an assessment of school health practices and policies.
- Pilot test the new Oregon School Mental Health Self-Assessment and Planning Tool (OSMH Tool)
- Plan and facilitate the implementation of the OSMH Tool at their school.
- Administer the OSMH Tool to identify current strengths, gaps, and areas in need of improvement to promote and support mental health and wellness.
All remaining Institutes have been tentatively scheduled at the Lane Education Service District in Eugene.
3 / Setting Priorities for Improving Practices and Policies in School Mental Health
CSH traveling team will be able to:
- Analyze and report the results of the OSMH Tool.
- Set Priorities based on OSMH Tool results and input from their SHAC.
- Develop goals for their Coordinated School Health Program.
CSH traveling team will be able to:
- Identify evidence-based school mental health programs and strategies.
- Identify local, state, and national programs & resources to promote mental health.
Lane ESD (tentative location)
Session / Session Activity /
When
4 / Planning for ActionCSH traveling team will be able to:
- Develop a CSH Action Plan based on the results of their needs assessment and research of best practices.
- Develop SMART objectives.
- Identify evaluation measures to monitor progress in program implementation.
5 /
Staying the Course: Planning for Sustainability
CSH traveling team will be able to:- Identify steps to support implementation & evaluation of their CSH Action Plan.
- Describe key elements essential for sustaining their CSH Program.
- Identify and track potential funding sources through the CDC’s Healthy Youth Funding Database and other sources of grant opportunities.
*These activities are subject to change.
APPLICATION REQUIRMENTS:
- General Information sheet for district and school(s). Form included in this Request for Application.
- Site Visit and Staff Meeting- The coordinator of this project may request a site visit of your school and the opportunity to have a meeting with a minimum of 80% of staff in May of 2007.
- Signed assurances- Signed assurances (commitment forms #1, #2 & #3) from the district Superintendent and school administrator(s).
- Statement of Need - Provide a clear statement of need to address physical, social and emotional barriers to learning at your school with a specific focus on mental health, school climate, and student support services. Please include general information about student’s overall health. Include student health behavior and well-being data from the Oregon Healthy Teens Survey (OHT) or other reliable sources to describe your needs. Find Oregon Healthy Teens Survey results at
- School Demographics- Report school demographics that indicate serving high needs student populations as evidenced by:
- Percentage of students served with racial/ethnic backgrounds disproportionately impacted by chronic disease and educational disparities
- Percentage of students living in poverty as measured by free and reduced lunch rates, or another recognized mechanism for measuring poverty
- Geographic isolation
6. Statement of school readiness for comprehensive, school-wide planning for improvement to develop a coordinated school health program
Please answer the following questions as completely as possible within the guidelines of 4 pages.
- Describe actions the District and School have previously taken to support student health/wellness at your school. Highlight any efforts that have addressed the social, emotional, and physical barriers to student learning.
- Describe the leadership style provided by your school administrator during previous school-wide improvement planning efforts.
- Describe how time, staff and resources will be dedicated to the coordinated school health planning process.
- Describe how school staff and community members were informed about this opportunity and involved in the decision to apply for this grant.
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Mental Health Demonstration Project
CSH 2007-08
SCORING FOR CSH MENTAL HEALTH DEMONSTRATION PROJECT
Criteria / Points Possible1. / Complete General Information / Required of all applicants
2. / Signed assurances (commitment forms #1, #2, & #3) from the district Superintendent and school administrator(s). / Required of all applicants
3. / Clear statement of need to address physical, social and emotional barriers to learning that includes student health & well-being data from the Oregon Healthy Teens Survey or other reliable sources. Find Oregon Healthy Teens Survey Results at / 30 points
4. / Reporting of CSH site demographics that indicate serving high-needs student populations as evidenced by:
- Percentage of students served with racial/ethnic backgrounds disproportionately impacted by chronic disease and educational disparities.
- Percentage of students living in poverty as measured by free and reduced lunch rates, or another recognized mechanism for measuring poverty.
- Geographic isolation.
5. / Statement of school readiness as evidenced by:
- Previous actions the District and school have taken to support student health/wellness at their school.
- Leadership style provided by school administrator during previous school-wide improvement planning efforts.
- Adequate time, staff and resources dedicated to the coordinated school health planning process.
- School staff and community members informed and involved in the decision to apply for this grant.
TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS
/ 100 points1
Mental Health Demonstration Project
CSH 2007-08
A. District Information
Name of DistrictDistrict Address
Name and Title for Key Contact of CSH Project
Telephone Number
Summer Phone Number (Essential)
E-mail Address
Summer E-mail Address (Essential)
Fax Number
B. School Information