Training for Iowa’s teachers and school staff as part of the state’s comprehensive children’s mental health care system has gotten underway for the summer. The Office of Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) announced this training is being supported by $2.1 million in appropriations for addressing children’s mental health needs in schools. “Our investment will help train teachers to better recognize early signs of mental illness and promote early intervention,” Gov. Reynolds says. “This is an important step to better support our educators working with students and families struggling with mental illness.” Tom Lane, Executive Director of Iowa’s AEAs says, “This funding represents an opportunity to begin addressing one of the biggest areas of concern continually raised by educators. This allocation will ensure educators have access to a detailed framework of universal support to build upon.” The funding includes Youth Mental Health First Aid training, a nationally recognized curriculum that teaches about risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems and promotes intervention to support students.
