Governor Evers Announces Funds for "Get Kids Ahead" Initiative

Friday, April 8th, 2022 -- 1:01 PM

Gov. Tony Evers announced nearly every school district across the state, including more than 450 local education agencies, will be awarded funds through the governor’s $15 million “Get Kids Ahead” initiative, as announced during his 2022 State of the State address.

Schools will be able to use these funds to provide direct mental healthcare, hire and support mental health navigators, provide mental health first aid and trauma-based care training, or provide family assistance programs.

Every public school district in the state was eligible to opt in to receive these funds and was guaranteed to receive a minimum of $10,000. The remainder of the funds were allocated on a per-pupil basis.

The coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated the pressing need for additional or improved student health services related to mental and behavioral health, and today’s announcement builds on the governor’s investments to support student mental health as the state recovers from COVID-19.

In the 2021-23 biennial budget, the governor initially proposed $53.5 million for student mental health services, but the Legislature reduced the combined funding to a $19 million increase.

And in December 2021, Gov. Evers delivered on a promise he made when he signed the biennial budget by providing an additional $110 million to support kids and schools that could be used by schools for anything kids needed to be successful, including mental health supports and more educational and extracurricular opportunities.

Additionally, last week, Gov. Evers announced a $5 million investment to make telehealth services, including mental and behavioral health services, more accessible by creating two $2.5 million grant programs for providers to expand and enhance child psychiatry telehealth services and partner with community organizations to establish neighborhood telehealth access points at food pantries, homeless shelters, libraries, long-term care facilities, community centers, and schools for people with limited access to technology and reliable internet service. 

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