U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8) has announced a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to the Jersey City Public Schools to fund their Project STARR program.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I am proud to announce this funding which advances a critical priority – the mental health of our children,” Menendez said in a statement.
“In working with Jersey City Public Schools, we have now delivered federal funding which will put more mental health professionals into Jersey City schools and provide children with mental-health services at a time when many children need all of the support that can be given to them. I have and always will fight for every single resource that we can secure to support our children and our public schools.”
Project STARR will implement dual-focused school psychology practical training and internships to prepare school psychology graduate trainees to deliver early and intensive mental health services in addition to school psychology competencies.
Additionally, the grant is part of the U.S. DOE’s Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration program.
“We are absolutely thrilled and deeply grateful to receive the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Program Grant,” added Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Dr. Norma Fernandez.
“The grant represents a critical investment in our students’ well-being. This funding is essential for the Jersey City Public Schools District to continue and expand our dedicated school-based mental health services, ensuring our students have the consistent support they need to thrive academically and personally.”
The Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Program provides competitive grants to test and evaluate innovative partnerships between institutions of higher education (IHE) and States or high-need local education agencies (LEA).
They are tasked with training school counselors, social workers, psychologists, or other mental health professionals qualified to provide school-based mental health services, with the goal of expanding into low-income public elementary schools and secondary schools in order to address the shortages of mental health service professionals.
