Statewide school mental health initiative celebrates $100,000 grant at Matteson elementary school
A children’s hospital working to provide free mental health resources to schools across Illinois, including Matteson’s Marya Yates Elementary School, celebrated a $100,000 grant Friday that will help it train more teachers and administrators to better support students.
The first iteration of Lurie Children’s Hospital’s Resilience-Supportive Schools Illinois program launched in the wake of COVID-19 in 2021, and its tools are now used within 800 schools across 82 counties. Program director Mashana Smith, who is also a clinical-community psychologist, said she expects an even higher demand for the resources as districts prepare to implement mandated student mental health screenings for the 2027-2028 school year.