Krystal Knapp | Planet Princeton
The Princeton Area Community Foundation is giving $275,000 to a statewide organization for principals and administrators to fund a program to teach school staff members in Mercer County how to identify students exposed to stressful or traumatic experiences, and how to engage all students in a way that promotes healing from the mental health effects of the pandemic.
The Foundation for Educational Administration (FEA) is the nonprofit arm of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, a membership services organization dedicated to the promotion of educational excellence through supporting school leaders via government advocacy, legal assistance, leadership programs, professional learning, and retirement counseling. The FEA’s “Healing Centered Engagement” initiative will be funded with a $137,500 grant from the Princeton Area Community Foundation’s
The program is on a statewide pilot program created by the Foundation for Education Administration earlier this year, and supported by grants from the Princeton Area Community Foundation, the Burke Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Health Initiatives, an the NJ Pandemic Relief Fund, along with assistance from the NJEA (the statewide teacher’s union), the Mental Health Association in New Jersey, the New Jersey Department of Education, and the Office of Resilience in the New Jersey Department of the Children and Families. Three Trenton schools and one school in Hamilton were part of the initial statewide cohort of 26 schools.
“We know that trauma can inhibit a child’s ability to learn, develop language skills, and create healthy attachments. The stress and isolation of the pandemic have contributed to worsening student mental health,” said Atiya Weiss, executive director of the Burke Foundation. “We are excited about this ground-breaking partnership to expand Healing Centered Schools in Mercer County in partnership with the Princeton Area Community Foundation. Supporting whole-school training on adverse childhood experiences, trauma-informed approaches, and mental health will offer new tools to our educators and staff to help our children heal and thrive.”
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