Lilly Endowment Grant
Lilly Endowment Inc. has approved grants to 52 Indiana public school corporations and five Indiana charter schools to help them implement promising strategies to strengthen school counseling programs for their students. The grants – ranging from $68,312 to $2.87 million are based on official enrollments and are part of the Endowment’s Comprehensive Counseling Initiative for Indiana K-12 Students (Counseling Initiative). The Michigan City Area Schools is delighted that they are one of the 52 public school corporations to be awarded funding and is the recipient of a total of $555,800 Comprehensive Counseling Initiative Grant for a period of four years.
The Comprehensive K-12 Counseling Infrastructure will strategically link access to service delivery, provide professional development, and add critical case management, social work and mentoring that supports the work of guidance counselors in order to develop a cradle to career pipeline of services to address the unique needs specific to our community.
Funding to MCAS will provide the addition of:
- Three grant-funded BSW Social Workers, will be contracted to provide direct counseling, case management, and mental health services to support socio-emotional non cognitive social skill development to promote enhanced coping and self-discipline. BSW Social Workers will be assigned to serve the following schools: 1@ MCHS & AK Smith 1@ Krueger & 4 feeder elementary schools (Joy, Lake Hills, Marsh & Springfield) 1@ Barker & 4 feeder elementary schools (Coolspring, Edgewood, Knapp, & Pine)
- Peer Mentors from Michigan City High School will mentor identified middle school students enrolled in the Safe Harbor program weekly to reinforce non cognitive skills. Based on the premise that high poverty students can be academically successful if they develop an understanding of how background differences in ethnic, gender, social class and sexual preference matter, MCAS will incorporate weekly mentoring by older peers from similar backgrounds to share their experiences in resilience and guidance in the development of grit and academic mindset.
- Kindergarten teachers will receive specialized professional development in Early Childhood Mental Health.
- School Counselors will have the opportunity to participate in the Indiana School Counselors Conference or Indiana Youth Institute Kids Count Conference.
- School Counselors, Social Workers and other school personnel will be trained and certified for 3 years in Youth Mental Health First Aid, an evidence-based method to provide initial intervention during a mental health or substance abuse crisis
MCAS convened 120 community stakeholders to serve as thought partners during visioning sessions to provide input into the development of the proposal. A number of the key stakeholders will serve as the nucleus of the Comprehensive Advisory group to monitor progress on outcomes and guide sustainability planning. Contributors included:
- Boys & Girls Club of Michigan City
- Dunebrook
- Duneland Health Foundation
- Hours for Ours
- Indiana University Northwest
- Ivy Tech
- LaPorte County Career & Technical Education (A. K. Smith Career Center)
- La Porte County Drug Free Partnership
- La Porte County Minority Health Coalition
- Michigan City Commission on the Social Status of African American Males
- Michigan City Promise Scholarship
- Open Door Adolescent Health Clinic
- Purdue Northwest Trio & Talent Search Programs
- Sandcastle Shelter
- Safe Harbor
- Swanson Center
- United Way
- Unity Foundation
- Valparaiso University
- Parents
- Students from Barker, Krueger & Michigan City High School
- School Counselors
- School Principals
- District Administrators
Indiana Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Grant
The Michigan City Area Schools has also been recently notified that they are the recipient of a competitive grant from the Indiana Department of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) Services for $200,000 for evidence based School Social Services. Funding will be for October 1, 2017- June 30, 2018 with potential renewal.
- Three grant-funded MSW Social Workers, will be contracted to provide direct counseling, case management, and mental health services to support socio-emotional non cognitive social skill development to promote enhanced coping and self-discipline. MSW Social Workers will be assigned to serve the following schools: 1@ MCHS & AK Smith 1@ Krueger & 4 feeder elementary schools (Joy, Lake Hills, Marsh & Springfield) 1@ Barker & 4 feeder elementary schools (Coolspring, Edgewood, Knapp, & Pine)
- Motivational Interviewing Sessions for students and their parent 2 hours nightly with an LCSW licensed therapist as an optional discipline alternative for Principals in lieu of suspensions.
- Botkin Life Skills Training in the Safe Harbor programs at Barker, Krueger, & Michigan City High School.
- Youth Mental Health First Aid training for 50 school personnel to be trained and certified for 3 years in Youth Mental Health First Aid, an evidence-based method to provide initial intervention during a youth mental health or substance abuse crisis.
- Motivational Interviewing Training for Counselors, Social Workers, and other support staff to enhance skills in addressing behavioral change.
- Implicit Bias Training for Counselors and Administrators