4 School Districts to Get Mental Health Funds
Four Orange County school districts will receive funding for mental health programs targeted for children in kindergarten through the third grade this year.
Gov. Pete Wilson announced Tuesday that funding for the Early Mental Health Initiative will reach $15 million in grants for the 1998-99 school year.
The following Orange County school districts will share in that amount: Centralia, $44,000; Fountain Valley, $72,000; Newport-Mesa Unified, $36,000; and Westminster, $70,000.
The program is designed to prevent social and emotional problems from interfering with a student’s work.
“Students can only realize their fullest potential in their academic and personal pursuits when they are physically, emotionally and mentally fit,” Wilson said.
Mental health aides will work with parents and teachers, detecting when children are having trouble adjusting to school life.
About 32,000 students statewide will benefit from the program in the 1998-99 school year. Funding for the program has increased fivefold since it began in 1991, the governor’s office said.
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