Three Washington Educational Service Districts received federal grants for counseling programs today to establish or expand counseling programs, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Grantees will use funds to support counseling programs in target elementary or secondary schools. Specifically, the new awards will aid local educational agencies in hiring qualified mental health professionals with the goal of expanding the range, availability, quantity and quality of counseling services. Parents of participating students will have input in the design and implementation of counseling services supported by these grants.
In addition, grantees will use funds to help increase the number of available and qualified counselors based on a school’s student population. Research shows that having adequate counseling services can help reduce the number of disciplinary referrals in schools, improve student attendance and academic performance and enhance development of social skills. Funds also may be used to support parental involvement, counselor and teacher professional development, and collaboration with community-based organizations that provide mental health and other services to students.
The three ESDs in Washington state are:
Northeast Washington Education Service District 101(Spokane): $388,153
Olympic Educational Service District 114 (Kitsap): $359,458
Education Service District 123 (Franklin): $386,622
There are nine ESDs in Washington state. They were developed to provide services to multiple school districts to save money.
