CCSD21 Receives Community Partnership Grant for Student Social and Emotional Support

March 21, 2022

Topic: Updates

CCSD21 is pleased to announce that it was awarded an Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Community Partnership Grant that addresses the social, emotional, behavioral and mental health needs of students within our district.

“The COVID-19 global pandemic accelerated the need to provide emotional and social care to children who are suffering from COVID-related stress, including mental health challenges that are impacting not only their learning, but their psychological state,” said Kim Cline, Assistant Superintendent of CCSD21. “Many are suffering from anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and isolation, among other ailments and this grant will support programs to promote well-being among our students.”

The grant expands and deepens the District’s partnership with OMNI Youth Services, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). The funding will support a variety of initiatives, including offering an innovative, nationally renowned teen suicide prevention program including its warning signs, mental illness education, as well as other services so students can meet their full potential.

The purpose of the community services, provided through the grant, is to enlist active parent/guardian and community engagement with the objective of creating relationships and natural support for CCSD21 families to rely on each other while learning parenting skills.

“Expanding mental health services to students and offering counseling and parental education is paramount for the well being of members within the District and the surrounding community,” said Cline.

For more details on the grant criteria and objectives, visit the ISBE website.