NYC to pay $500 to nearly 1,000 parents to address mental health needs at their schools

The education department is launching a training program next month for parents, paying them $500 to become “wellness ambassadors” addressing mental health needs in their school communities.

The initiative will pay the stipend to parent leaders from roughly 950 schools in neighborhoods hardest hit by the coronavirus, according to Adrienne Austin, an acting deputy chancellor who oversees parent outreach. She revealed a “sneak peek” of the plan Thursday to members of the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council.

“We’re looking to support parent leaders in those schools to become ambassadors for wellness,” Austin told parents.

The mental health toll on the nation’s largest school system this year has been enormous. Many families have suffered from job losses, increased food insecurity, and the death of loved ones. Parents have had to make difficult decisions about whether to send their children back to school buildings or keep them home full time. More than 70% of children opted to learn exclusively from home, but many of those who returned to buildings did so part time or experienced frequent shutdowns because of positive coronavirus cases...

https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2021/4/9/22376133/parent-ambassador-mental-health-stipend-nyc