Community Corner
ALLENDALE ASSOCIATION RECEIVES GRANT FROM McGRAY FOUNDATION
Allendale Association, the not-for-profit facility for troubled youth, was awarded a three-year, $150,000 grant from McGraw Foundation to support its unique outreach project benefiting students in Lake County.
The project trains local teachers to help students with emotional and behavioral problems stay in, and succeed, at school. The McGraw Foundation presented the first installment of the grant ($50,000) to Allendale on July 8th.
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Students experiencing emotional and behavioral health problems have difficulty learning, and their disruptive behaviors can interfere with the learning of other students. Public school teachers often lack the necessary supports and specialized training needed to effectively deal with these problems. Without intervention, many troubled students end up failing in their local school environment resulting in expensive out-placement and/or dropping-out prior to graduation.
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Through this project, Allendale’s experts work with and provide training to teachers in the application of their award-winning REStArT treatment and intervention program; which includes strengthening partnerships with parents, an alignment critical to school success. REStArT (Relational Re-Enactment Systems Approach to Treatment) teaches educators how to recognize early warning signs and proactively intervene, helping kids break chronic cycles of conflict and learn new behaviors that improve relationships and performance.
REStArt works. To date, 98% of kids receiving program services have remained in their home school district. Results show youth behavior problems decreased by 91%, while positive behaviors increased by 91%, as measured by accepted and standardized assessment tools.
Allendale first launched small pilot projects in several Waukegan and Zion classrooms. As a result of McGraw Foundation’s 3-year, $50,000 per year grant, additional schools from surrounding communities will be able to participate in the project and more students will be served.
