A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

"Safe Schools/Healthy Students"
Tallahassee, Florida

Leon County is a small, highly populated metropolitan area in the center of Florida?s more rural "Panhandle" region. The county has a high degree of racial heterogeneity, with 74% of the population being white and 24% being black. The area has seen a growth in socioeconomic disparity between the high and low-income neighborhoods. Just five years ago, the county was rated as having the highest per capita crime rate in all of Florida?s 67 counties. There is also a lack of a coordinated system for early identification and referral of young children with behavioral and mental health problems. This program will target students in five elementary schools characterized as being "challenged schools," with a combined enrollment of 2,612 students.

The partners in this initiative will work with existing community organizations and coalitions such as 21^st Century Council and the Community Human Services Partnership to create an integrated system of community and school-based services.

The primary focus of this initiative is to provide the earliest possible intervention for at-risk youth through early childhood education and timely access to services. Emphasis will be placed on educating parents on attitudes and skills needed to raise resilient and healthy children. Five paraprofessional preschool associates will be hired to provide education for parents and home visits for preschool children enrolled in targeted schools. A parent educator will be hired to train the associates and work with community agencies to raise awareness about the benefits of early psychosocial and emotional development programs and access to preventive services. A violence prevention curriculum will be implemented in the five elementary schools, and a mental health expert will be trained to deliver instruction, train teachers, and work with support groups within the school and community. To address one of the biggest gaps in the community?s overall system, the plan proposes a coordinated collaborative Children?s Early Assessment and Referral Center, for the community to refer youth needing early mental health intervention. A mental health teacher specialist will provide overlay mental health services to children in the targeted schools, train teachers, and work with parents and guardians. The plan will also implement safe school policies and increase alternative after school and recreational activities for all youth. All new and expanded after school programs will receive affective and behavioral overlay services. To ensure the safety of schools and buses a number of surveillance cameras and radios will be installed.

The evaluation will be designed to determine if the initiative builds on existing networks and creates a more coordinated system of community and school-based services.

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