Alberta doubles funding for mental health, learning supports in schools

The province announced Wednesday afternoon that it will double funding for mental health and learning support in Alberta’s schools to $40 million.

The funding will go towards pilot projects, proposals for which were presented to the government during the summer. The $40 million will be spent on nearly 60 of these projects over a two-year period, benefiting nearly 50,000 students in Alberta.

Schools will work with mental health services to deliver the projects, which will support students with social and emotional learning, counselling, and provide training and student assessment for staff, between now and December 2024.

“This investment ensures that students across Alberta have adequate access to mental health resources and support, which will lead to a better chance to engage in meaningful learning and relationship building,” Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said in a statement.

“In addition, targeted programming for early elementary learners will support the goal of maintaining development on track, which may have previously been lost due to in-school interference.”

An additional $10 million will be given to school authorities “to help struggling students get back on track after the pandemic,” with the goal of driving local solutions while gathering information to inform a broader approach to supporting students across to inform the province,” the news release read.

During the 2021-2022 school year, schools across the province received $45 million to support Grade 1-3 students after the pandemic. The additional $10 million in funding for this year will go to those same students who are now in grades 2-4.

Specialized treatment and support will be provided in the classroom to students with specific needs by CASA mental health teams. These teams will help expand and integrate mental health support for children in primary schools from 2023.

Additional programming will be made available to more schools in the new year.

“Students deserve to feel supported and have access to mental health support as they complete their K-12 studies,” said Nicholas Milliken, Alberta’s newly appointed Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

“Through our province’s recovery-oriented care system, we are taking action to improve the mental health of children and youth and make a difference in their lives.”

2:13
Smith to allow no further masking mandate from school children

© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.