By Townhall Chicago News Staff
The Cook County Department of Public Health on Thursday announced $92,270 in grants to three organizations to implement restorative practices in schools and community power building initiatives across suburban Cook County.
The grants, funded through the department’s Building Healthier Communities program, went to Hazel Crest School District 152 1/2, SGA Youth and Family Services and the United Palatine Coalition, according to a news release from the department.
“Mental health is an urgent public health crisis not only in Cook County, but throughout the nation. We are grateful for the organizations that are developing initiatives to tackle this crisis, and we’re delighted to support them,” Dr. Kiran Joshi, chief operating officer of the department, said in the release.
Restorative practices, such as talking circles and peer mediation, offer alternatives to exclusionary discipline in schools. A recent department report found that suburban Cook County school districts rank among the highest in Illinois for racial and ethnic disparities in suspensions and expulsions, according to the release.
Hazel Crest School District 152 1/2 received the largest award at $55,000. The district aims to strengthen school climate and reduce exclusionary discipline across its schools, which serve 853 students in pre-K through eighth grade. The funding will support expanding daily community-building circles, training staff in restorative conversations and implementing structured re-entry processes after incidents of harm, according to the release.
SGA Youth and Family Services received $21,287 to implement restorative practices at Unity Junior High School in Cicero. The organization will offer professional learning, coaching and student-centered programming, including professional development for administrators, teachers, counselors and support staff, according to the release.
The United Palatine Coalition received $15,983 in the community power building category. The coalition will use the funding to research and address economic insecurity and social isolation in northwest Cook County communities, including Palatine, Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Wheeling, Inverness, Barrington, Prospect Heights and Elk Grove Village, according to the release.
The coalition plans to share community-driven recommendations with statewide advocacy coalitions and local legislators while launching advocacy trainings to equip residents with skills to push for community solutions, according to the release.
The department issued open calls in June for restorative practices and community power building proposals. The restorative practices category drew 15 applicants, while the power building category drew eight, according to the release.
The grants were announced the same day the department awarded $475,000 to expand youth mental health programming in four other suburban communities.
Additional information about Cook County Department of Public Health programs is available at cookcountypublichealth.org.
