The grant was awarded by Clark County Mental Health and is designed to help implement a system of support for children dealing with trauma or other challenges
VANCOUVER — Educational Service District is the recipient of a $132,073 grant to pilot a multi-tiered system of support for young learners. As one of the largest early learning providers in Southwest Washington for the past 30 years, ESD 112 will partner with Children’s Home Society to bolster its services for children experiencing trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACES).
The one-time grant was awarded by Clark County Mental Health and is designed to help implement a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) for children dealing with trauma or other challenges that lead to behavior issues. “We’ve been providing early learning services for over 30 years,” said Jodi Wall, ESD 112 executive director of Early and Care and Education. “But over the past five to ten years, we have become increasingly concerned about the mental health and behavioral needs of very young children due to trauma and ACES,” she said.
Wall said that by implementing the MTSS model, which emphasizes proactive early intervention, the hope is the number of child behavior plans will decrease and staff retention will increase. “Staff in our centers have been significantly challenged by behavior issues. This grant will help us provide adequate training and supports to better respond to children who need behavior interventions,” she added.
Money from the grant will also help families access parent education opportunities as well as staff training and coaching from a seasoned behavioral specialist. MTSS will be piloted at two of the ESD’s early learning centers who serve children 12 months to five years old, as well as at three school-age facilities that provide before and after school supports to children in kindergarten through 5th grade.
For additional information, contact Jodi Wall at jodi.wall@esd112.org or at (360) 952-3366.
DID YOU KNOW:
- 28,084 children 0-5 living in Clark County
- 13 percent living in poverty
- 31.8 percent of children living with a female householder are in poverty
- 22,580 children are food insecure
- 3.5 percent of children are victims of abuse or neglect
- 723 children in foster care
- 26 percent in ESD 112 ECEAP report exposure to DV
- 48 percent of ESD 112 ECE families reported mental health as one of biggest stressors
- 4 percent of children 0-4 on Medicaid had known mental health treatment need
- 39 percent of child care providers across the country reported at least one expulsion – 13 times higher than K-12 because of lack of support and resources
Information provided by Educational Service District 112.
