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EMHI - Annual Training Conference - October 26-27, 2011
- Announcement Flier
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08/22/2011 - Conference Registration -
08/22/2011
- Hotel Registration -
08/22/2011
EMHI - 2011 NOTIFICATIONS
June 28, 2011
NOTIFICATION LETTER - FUNDABLE PROGRAMS
A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD list of all funded applicants has been posted at the Department of Mental Health, 1600 9th Street, Room 150, Sacramento, California 95814.
A "NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD" letter has been mailed to all the superintendents of Local Education Agencies (LEA) that submitted an application which will be funded, pending passing of the State Budget. A copy of the award notice has been mailed to the designated project coordinator at the mailing address specified in the application.
NOTIFICATION LETTER - NO FUNDS
A NOTICE OF EMHI RFA DETERMINATION—2011 letter has been sent out to all EMHI 2011 RFA applicants for whom there are insufficient funds available at this time to award an EMHI grant. These letters have been mailed to the superintendents, and a copy to the designated project coordinator, at the mailing address specified in the application.
NOTIFICATION LETTER - DID NOT PASS
A NOTICE OF EMHI RFA DETERMINATION—2011 letter has been sent out to all EMHI 2011 RFA applicants who did not receive a passing score. These letters have been mailed to the superintendents, and a copy to the designated project coordinator, at the mailing address specified in the application.
Applicants with questions may contact the EMHI office at DMHEMHI@dmh.ca.gov
EMHI—2011 RFA Released
REVISED: February 23, 2011
IMPORTANT REVISION: the Certification of Assurance of Compliance with Underserved-Underrepresented Statistics (Page 56) posted on February 8, 2011 has been revised to include a 'does not apply' indicator. Include the revised certification when responding to the 2011 RFA.
EMHI 2011 RFA - 02/28/2011
(for document accessibility problems please contact Jeannette
Eagan (916) 651-0995)
Notice of Intent to Apply is due by April 1, 2011.
Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 9, 2011.
The Early Mental Health Initiative (EMHI) Request for Application (RFA) EMHI-2011-12 has been released. 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 2011-12. However, the amount, if any, available for this purpose shall not be appropriated until the approval of the California State Budget for FY 2011-12. Any awards from this RFA are contingent on the passage of the FY 2011-12 State Budget with specific inclusion of funds for new EMHI programs. Applicants should understand that, until the final approval of a FY 2011-12 California State Budget that includes funding for new EMHI programs, there is no guarantee of funding availability, even if they have a fundable score in the RFA process.
RFA Forms
Forms will be updated and posted when the FY 2012-13 RFA is released.INFORMATION MEETINGS
Q & A's - 03/21/2011
There will be three information meetings regarding this RFA. Please complete the 2011 Information Meeting Registration form below and mail or fax it to the EMHI program if you plan to attend one of the information meetings.
- Burbank Marriott Hotel—March 1, 2011
- Fresno Courtyard Marriott Hotel—March 3, 2011
- Sacramento City Unified School District—March 9, 2011
2011 Information Meeting Registration form - PDF
2011 Information Meeting Registration form - MSWord 
If you have questions, please contact the Technical Assistance Consultant assigned to your region or an EMHI analyst.
(See Program Chart for contact information)
EMHI PROGRAM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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 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.
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) 2011-12.