Our Tigard Day Treatment programs are excited about a $25,400 grant toward offering summer school this year. The grant was written by the NWRESD Day Treatment principal, Bethany Bowers.
NWRESD partners with LifeWorks NW in Washington County to improve student learning through high-quality services and support.
“Our work is guided and informed by our core values: Equity, Student Success, Partnership, and Innovative Service,” says Bethany. “We work closely with families, districts, and other educational/service providers to increase impact, leverage resources, and provide seamless learning opportunities and supports for students from birth to 21.”
NWRESD’s Day Treatment Program focuses on providing evidence-based, trauma-informed mental health and individualized educational services to students Pre-K through 12th grade who have experienced significant trauma or mental health challenges and are not well served by other educational settings.
This 8-week summer program serving about 35 students in five classrooms ensures that the students continue to have access to critical therapeutic and mental health supports provided by LifeWorks NW.
“Our summer program provides increased opportunities for students to explore their communities, participate in field trips, and explore areas of personal interest while continuing to prioritize skill building; individual, group, and family counseling; medication management; and social skills development,” wrote Bethany in the grant.
The summer school generally reduces staffing levels in the summer, transitioning to slightly larger cohorts of students that work well for the field trips and group activities of our summer program.
“However, given COVID requirements, we will need to maintain small cohorts this summer to ensure student and staff safety,” wrote Bethany. “Our summer program will include six cohorts of 5-6 students. COVID is also limiting the number of field trips and community-based activities we can do. In response, we are looking to bring more experiences into our classrooms through presenters, guest instructors, and hands-on activities, [based on] age-range and the interests and needs of our students.”
The summer school anticipates having 35 students, 16 in kindergarten through 5th grade, and 19 6th through 12th grades.
“This grant would allow us to continue to provide summer programming to all of our students in a safe, supportive, structured environment designed to meet their individual needs,” Bethany wrote. “We know that distanced learning has had a disproportionate impact on our most vulnerable learners. Via empathy interviews conducted with our families and students this year, we heard repeated concerns about social-emotional well-being, access to resources and materials usually received at school, and a frustration or disconnection with remote learning. Expanding our summer program to provide more classroom space would allow us to bring students back to our program daily, rather than twice per week. For the population we serve, we know this in-person connection can be vital. Bringing in community resources, experiences, and projects will also allow us to re-engage students and create opportunities for continued skill development, while closely monitoring mental health needs.”
Congratulations, Tigard Day Treatment programs, and thanks to Bethany for seeking grant funding to help support our much needed summer school.