The funding is intended to provide financial support and incentives for Iowa school districts to invest in and advance school mental health training for paraeducators.

Imagine Iowa Curriculum

Imagine Iowa is an evidence-informed curriculum designed to support educators and K-12 stakeholders to improve their knowledge, skills, and attitudes about mental health.

This curriculum will provide the opportunity to engage with topics such as mental health literacy, immediate crisis response, and advocacy, all of which will create an atmosphere of inclusion and wellness in classrooms and schools. In addition, participants will develop tools to have insight into their own mental health needs and how to set up a personal wellness plan.

Participants will begin to explore these topics in-person and engage in continual learning via digital platforms after in-person professional development to become partners in school mental health.

By the end of the training program, participants will be able to:

1. Define and discuss specific mental health issues, emphasizing the use of stigma-free language.
2. Respond appropriately by identifying indicators and risk factors associated with a mental health crisis.
3. Utilize effective communication skills for discussing mental health in an equitable and approachable way.
4. Develop a personal wellness plan to maintain care for self while navigating mental health situations at school/work.
5. Apply a trauma-informed approach to school mental health.
6. Understand an educator’s role in advocating for mental health resources to improve school mental health.

Program Facilitators: Jacob Priest, Ph.D., LMFT , Martin Kivlighan, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Kari Vogelgesang, Ph.D., and Gerta Bardhoshi, Ph.D.

This competitive fellowship is open to all Iowa public school districts that employ paraeducators to support the social, emotional, and behavioral health needs of students.

A district administrator must complete the initial application, providing the name(s) and contact information of the paraeducators who will complete the program by July 21, 2023. In the application, district administration will describe their need for this award and outline how the funds will impact their unique learning community.

A committee of Scanlan Center for School Mental Health faculty and staff will evaluate applications. Districts will receive a response no later than August 31, 2023.