Summary

Executive Constantine launched two new Best Starts for Kids initiatives that will provide a combined $1.46 million in funding to help schools and their partners better address the impacts of trauma and adversity and expand mental-health support in King County middle schools.

Story

King County Executive Dow Constantine today launched two new Best Starts for Kids initiatives that will help schools and their partners better address the impacts of trauma, and promote resilience so that children and youth can bounce back after experiencing adversity.

The combined $1.46 million in funding will provide 98 partners in 14 school districts with tools and training to support children and young people through experiences of childhood trauma and adversity, and expand mental-health support in 56 King County middle schools.

“We are helping teachers, staff, and students transform local schools so that children and young people can thrive even if they have experienced trauma,” said Executive Constantine. “The partnerships we are creating with Best Starts for Kids help ensure students get the support they need wherever they are in the community.”

King County’s Best Starts for Kids levy will award $930,000 to nearly 100 organizations – including school districts, K-12 schools, early learning providers, and behavioral health providers – to create or strengthen environments that better support children and youth who have experienced trauma or adversity and build resilience in all children.

The goal is to create what are referred to as trauma-informed schools, where the faculty, staff, and students have the skills and tools needed to create environments where children facing unpredictable, ongoing stress or trauma in their lives feel safe. These environments build resilience so that all students are better able to bounce back when facing adversity. The approach extends beyond classrooms to include partner organizations, such as early-learning providers and parent groups, so students get the support they need wherever they are in the community.

It will also create and expand effective restorative justice programs that empower students and teachers to resolve conflict by collaborating rather than through traditional discipline, such as detention or suspension.

One example of a successful program that will be expanded is Seattle Public School’s Cleveland High School, which has reduced discipline referrals by teachers by 75 percent and decreased racial disproportionality in the disciplinary system. The high school will use the Best Starts for Kids funding to train 10 additional teachers and 10 students to lead restorative justice circles when conflicts arise, making the school’s effective approach to conflict resolution more sustainable.

Expanding access to effective mental-health support in schools

For students who need additional support to succeed, 56 King County middle schools in 13 school districts can now plan to expand a successful model for school-based mental health support with $530,000 in funding from Best Starts for Kids.

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment, or SBIRT, is an innovative model that helps schools intervene early when substance abuse or mental health challenges interfere with a student’s ability to succeed.

Using motivational interviewing techniques, counselors work with students to identify their individual strengths to cope with stress and achieve their goals. If needed, counselors will refer students to additional services based on their unique needs, ranging from leadership development programs to chemical dependency treatment.

In 2014, King County was one of five sites selected to partner with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and Reclaiming Futures to pilot test the SBIRT model in five middle schools. Funding from Best Starts for Kids will bring the effective approach to scale, expanding it to 13 of King County’s 19 school districts. 

The initial funds will support training and technical assistance to create an SBIRT implementation plan. In early 2018, schools that complete a plan will be invited to apply for Best Starts for Kids funds to provide SBIRT services to students. Best Starts for Kids will use the model through a license agreement with Reclaiming Futures and Portland State University.

About Best Starts for Kids

Voters in 2015 approved a six-year levy proposed by Executive Constantine to fund Best Starts for Kids, an initiative to help put every baby born and every child raised in King County on a path toward lifelong success.

It invests in promotion, prevention, and early intervention strategies that promote healthier, more resilient children, youth, families and communities. It is considered the most comprehensive approach to early childhood development in the United States, starting with prenatal support, sustaining the gain through teenage years, and investing in safe, healthy communities that reinforce progress.

Relevant links

• Overview of Best Starts for Kids
• If you could reinvent schools, what would you do?
• New model helps students find their strenghts to succeed
• How King County is implementing Best Starts for Kids

Quotes

We are helping teachers, staff, and students transform local schools so that children and young people can thrive even if they have experienced trauma. The partnerships we are creating with Best Starts for Kids help ensure students get the support they need wherever they are in the community.

Building resilience in our children, families, and communities is critical to ensuring that all people in King County can achieve their full potential. Trauma-informed and restorative practices can provide the framework for schools, families, and community partners to collaborate to ensure that children and young people have the support they need to thrive.

As a district, we are so excited Washington Elementary was awarded this Best Starts for Kids Grant!  The opportunities created for students and families will complement the focus of caring, compassionate, and connected teachers who will do all in their power to ensure their students thrive this year and in their future!

The most important work we have in schools is to ensure scholars supported so they can learn at the highest levels. It is essential that school staff, teachers, and families are equipped to support young people who have experienced trauma, resolve conflict collaboratively, and heal.  These awards will build on our work to bring staff, students, and communities together to build a positive school environment that supports all students in achieving their full potential.

For more information, contact:

Chad Lewis, Executive Office, 206-263-1250