School Mental Health Supports Grants

Illinois State Board of Education provides funding to schools to partner with local mental health providers to deliver early intervention services to students and their families.  Illinois Department of Human Services/ Division of Mental Health administers grants to community mental health agencies to partner with schools for the same purpose. A total of 29 ISBE and six IDHS/DMH sites have been the recipients of funding to:

1. Enhance the capacity of schools and/or districts to create universal prevention and promote mental health development and social emotional learning

2. Enhance the capacity of school districts to design and implement protocols for early identification

3. Develop a coordinated, collaborative student mental health support system that integrates with community mental health and other child-serving agencies and systems

4. Reduce mental health stigma within the school community. Over 9,000 students have been assisted by these grants, and over 2,500 have received early intervention services.