Middletown Gets $2M Safe Schools, Healthy Students Grant

Middletown is one of the districts to be included in the DHMHAS award of $2,035,014 for the Safe Schools, Healthy Students grant that will provide Bridgeport, New Britain and Middletown with behavioral health supports and school climate improvement strategies through the CT Safe Schools/Healthy Students Diffusion Project.  

This is a federal grant award from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The goal of the project is to provide safe and secure schools where students can achieve their full potential. Middletown will receive $553,500 per year for up to four years.  

The Safe Schools, Healthy Students Model is a process that provides for a comprehensive plan of activities, services and strategies to decrease youth violence and promote healthy development of children and youth. The five elements of the model are:

• Promoting early childhood social and emotional learning and development
• Promoting mental, emotional and behavioral health
• Connecting family, schools and communities
• Preventing behavioral health problems
• Creating safe and violence-free schools

"We look forward to the planning process with DHMAS and other partners from education, behavioral health and the criminal/juvenile justice systems," said Dr. Patricia Charles, Superintendent of Middletown Public Schools.

"This is an excellent opportunity to collaborate with state and local agencies to develop the systems and policies to support the healthy development of Middletown’s students."