SALT LAKE CITY – Students at three Title I schools in the Granite School District will have access to a comprehensive mental and behavioral health program thanks to a grant that will provide $300,000 over three years.
The grant from the Cambia Health Foundation and a partnership with United Way is allowing the schools like Lincoln Elementary to provide more services to their students.
Principal Afton Lambson said the grant and partnerships will allow them to provide greater academic, behavioral, family and emotional support to students.
“We’re really excited to have this partnership with United Way and Cambia Health as a mental health provider in our school,” he said. “We really want to make sure we’re taking care of our students in every possible way.”
Lincoln Elementary is comprised of many immigrant and refugee families, and more than 25 languages are spoken among them, according to a press release. The mental and behavioral health program is expected to help at-risk students who are in need of individual attention.
The release stated the goal is to help children improve academically while also teaching them how to better cope with the types of issues they are dealing with.
Amanda Matthews, United Way Community School Director at Lincoln Elementary School, said the two goals are intertwined.
“If students are struggling with needs and issues outside the classroom, it really does come into the classroom and affects their ability to learn,” Matthews said.
