Districts Adding Trauma Layer to Early Childhood Intervention Work

(KNSI) — This is National School Social Work Week. As part of the governor’s $65 billion budget plan, money is set aside to beef up the state’s mental health and early childhood education programming.

In the St. Paul Public School District, they are using a trauma-informed approach aimed at serving families with young children who are at risk. Susan Williams is a social worker in the district’s birth to three early intervention program. They factor in whether the kids have been exposed to adverse childhood experiences beyond abuse or neglect.

“We also are involved with families facing homelessness, and chemical dependency of a caregiver, or chronic and persistent mental illness of a caregiver. These are typically the families that we get called upon to support.”

Federal law requires school districts to provide enrollment to transient students, defined as those living in a temporary, inadequate space, including at a friend’s or relative’s home. In St. Cloud Area Scholl District 742, Superintendent Dr. Laurie Putnam says the number is expected to top 700 this academic year.

“Over the last five or six years, the number has been steadily rising. Certainly, we know that the economy is a struggle coming out of the pandemic. We, of course, were hoping for fewer students who are living in those unfortunate circumstances. However, we are prepared to support them.”

The district is trying to partner with outside organizations to get transient students into permanent housing accommodations. More information on the Transitional Education Services Program can be found here. The Local Education & Activities Foundation also has a homeless student services fund.

Williams says considering these factors early on is important because it helps assess how the child is doing socially and emotionally and the family’s needs. It coincides with primary relationships forged as a child’s brain develops.

In the governor’s One Minnesota budget is $158 million for hiring school counselors, school nurses, school psychologists, school social workers, and chemical health counselors and a workforce initiative to address staffing shortages in these areas with additional resources to increase access to infant and early childhood mental health consultation for school-based early childhood programs, School-Linked Behavioral Health Grants and Intermediate School-Linked Behavioral Health Grants.

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MNC reporter Mike Moen and KNSI reporter Grant Dossetto contributed to this story.

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