California Department of Mental Health

Right Column

Background | Goals | Key Elements | Funding

EMHI 2009 RFA Released (see below)

BACKGROUND

Assembly Bill 1650 (Hansen), Chapter 757, Statutes of 1991, authorized the School-Based Early Mental Health Intervention and Prevention Services for Children Act (amended by Senate Bill 485, Chapter 722, Statutes of 1992 and by Assembly Bill 442, Chapter 1161, Statutes of 2002). This legislation permits the California Department of Mental Health (DMH) to award Early Mental Health Initiative, known as EMHI, matching grants to LEAs to implement early mental health intervention and prevention programs. An LEA is defined as a publicly funded school district, county office of education, or state special school. All programs supported by EMHI grants must be based at a school site and must focus on services to students in kindergarten through third grade. Grant funding is provided for one three-year cycle to publicly funded elementary schools.

Surveys nationwide have documented that at least 30 percent of all elementary school students experience moderate to severe school adjustment difficulties. Research has shown that the behavior of students experiencing school adjustment difficulties is often detectable at an early age. Programs funded through EMHI serve students identified as experiencing mild to moderate school adjustment difficulties and are not intended to serve students with more severe difficulties. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that programs based on systematic early detection and screening, backed by prompt and effective intervention, can prevent later adjustment difficulties at great savings to individuals, schools, mental health programs, and society at large.  DMH is committed to early mental health intervention and prevention and has funded and supported such programs since 1982.

GOALS

The goals of EMHI are to enhance the social and emotional development of young students; increase the likelihood that students experiencing mild to moderate school adjustment difficulties will succeed in school; increase their personal competencies related to life success; and minimize the need for more intensive and costly services as they grow older.  By allocating matching fiscal support for the first three years, EMHI provides an opportunity for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) working with cooperating mental health entities, such as local mental health programs or private nonprofit agencies, to implement, school-based programs which enhance school adjustment, mental health, and the social/emotional development of students.

KEY ELEMENTS

  • Serve students in kindergarten through third grade experiencing mild to moderate school adjustment difficulties.
  • Provide services that are school-based and low cost.
  • Provide culturally competent services.
  • Provide services to appropriate students in the target population from low-income families.
  • Provide services to appropriate students in the target population who are in out-of-home placement, or are at risk of out-of-home placement.
  • Encourage the involvement of parents/guardians and teaching staff to build alliances to promote student’s mental health and social and emotional development.
  • Provide services in collaboration with a cooperating mental health entity, such as a County Mental Health Department or a private non-profit agency.
  • Use a systematic selection process of students most likely to benefit from program participation.
  • Use alternative personnel, such as child aides, to provide direct services to identified students.
  • Change the traditional roles of mental health professionals.
  • Provide ongoing supervision and training of child aides by credentialed school psychologists, school social workers, or school counselors in collaboration with professional staff of the cooperating mental health entities.
  • Provide ongoing monitoring and evaluation of program services.
  • Ensure implementation of programs that are based on adoption or modification, of existing program models that have been shown to be effective and which are based on sound research.

Top of Page

FUNDING

EMHI provides funding for school-based early intervention and prevention services to kindergarten through third grade students who have mild to moderate school adjustment issues and would benefit from additional support. It is anticipated that approximately $4.6 million will be available to fund new EMHI programs in Fiscal Year (FY) 2009-10.

 

EMHI-2009 Request for Application

The Early Mental Health Initiative (EMHI) Request for Application (RFA) EMHI-2009-10 has been released.

For additional information, please contact the EMHI Unit at:
Lois.Williams@dmh.ca.gov or (916) 651-0689 or (916) 651-0629.

This RFA is being issued in accordance with the provisions of Section 4380 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. It is anticipated that approximately $4.6 million will be available to fund new EMHI programs in FY 2009-10. However, the amount, if any, available for this purpose shall not be appropriated until the final approval of the California State Budget for FY 2009-10. Any awards from this RFA are contingent on the final passage of any FY 2009-10 State Budget with specific inclusion of funds for new EMHI programs. Applicants should realize that until the final completion of the FY 2009-10 California State Budget that includes the $4.6 million for new EMHI programs, there is no guarantee of funding availability for their application even if they have a fundable score in the RFA process.

There will be two information meetings regarding this RFA. The first will be held in Sacramento on April 13, 2009, and the second will be held in Ontario on April 15, 2009. Please complete the form below and mail or fax it to the EMHI program if you plan to attend one of the information meetings.

EMHI 2009 RFA

Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 12, 2009.

EMHI RFA Q &A

Q:  On Page 52 of the RFA, it states in the Line 15: Travel costs narrative that the average cost of attending the Training Conference is $700.  Then, in the example below that, it shows $625 as the amount allowed for each person attending the Training Conference.  Which is the correct amount?
 
A: The correct amount is $700.  Use that amount in calculating your travel costs to the Training Conference.

RFA Forms

PDF Forms - These forms are not fillable and must be downloaded to be completed by hand.

MSWord Forms - DMH does not take any responsibility for the formatting or completeness of any MS Word documents downloaded by applicants. Applicants should review any MS Word documents that they have downloaded and used, to ensure that no documents have been inadvertently altered, rendering them out of compliance with RFA requirements.

Top of Page