National Funding (ESSER) to Support Mental Health in Your School

Work with Starr to secure ESSER funding and curate a package of trauma-informed
training and resources perfect for your district’s needs.

ESSER Funds for Schools

American Rescue Plan (ARP) Fuels Education Recovery - ESSER

We're excited to share a pivotal development in K-12 education aligned with Starr Commonwealth's mission. The U.S. Department of Education's swift response to President Biden's ARP involves the allocation of ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. These funds aim to support safe school reopening and equitable opportunities for students in each State, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.

Advancing Healing and Progress

The Secretary of Education acknowledges the pandemic's impact on students, parents, educators, and schools. The ARP resources provide critical support for schools to invest in mitigation strategies, enabling students to return to classrooms safely and address pandemic-related impacts.

Empowering Transformation

The ARP ESSER Fund offers $122 billion in relief for K-12 schools. These funds are currently available, supporting health and safety measures aligned with CDC guidance. This includes improved ventilation, PPE acquisition, and space expansion for social distancing. Additionally, the funds address teaching and learning disruptions, particularly for vulnerable students.

A Partner in Progress

Starr Commonwealth underscores equity in school reopening. Utilize ARP funds to support students disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Leverage funds for inclusive recovery. We offer technical assistance, guidance, and best practices for fund utilization. The ARP presents a unique opportunity to reshape K-12 education. Join us in unlocking education's potential for growth, healing, and progress.

For ARP ESSER fund allocation details, visit this link. Join us in shaping education's empowered future.


Packages are customized for each organization, and can include:

  • Building-wide passes to Starr's 2021 Trauma & Resilience Virtual Conference
  • Building-wide survey of staff to identify strengths, weaknesses, and attitudes related to trauma-informed, resilience-focused practices and subsequent report of results
  • Staff training and certification in Starr’s trauma-informed, resilience-focused model.
  • Starr Commonwealth's library of print tools & resources
  • Licenses for Starr’s K-5 Courageous Classrooms – Skill of the Week social-emotional program
  • 1-on-1 ZOOM coaching sessions with your very own member of the All Starr Team
  • Post-implementation building-wide survey to staff to identify shifts and progress made in strengths, weaknesses, and attitudes related to trauma-informed, resilience-focused practices and subsequent report of results
  • Year-end report from your very own member of the All Starr Team with personalized next steps for your building

Book a consultation today!



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Terry Dangerfield Superintendent, Lincoln Park Public Schools (MI)

We had very few tools—suspension, code of conduct, send them out. We felt we were not meeting their needs and there was danger inside the school. It wasn’t until… we made a connection with Starr Commonwealth… [they] provide incredible training, consultation, and coaching. They were able to show us a new way. We realized it wasn’t about academics. There’s human beings sitting in our classrooms—heartbeats and belly buttons. We were failing to meet their needs. By bringing a trauma-informed practice into our schools… when we started treating them like humans first, we’re now sitting here with the high test scores since the MSTEP started, and the highest enrollment in 13 years. We’re finally doing the right thing for kids.

Elementary School Counselor Canton City

I just completed my second Starr course last month. I’ve been in the field of education and school counseling for 33 years now, and I’ve always worked with at-risk children whose academics are truly affected by their traumatic home lives. The knowledge I gained in these two courses helped me more than I realized. I just spoke with a parent last week who shared details of the horror she went through with her child, my counselee. She didn’t know how to be consistent with her son since she knew he had experienced so much trauma, as she had as well. Since the course was so fresh in my mind, I was able to relay what I learned about the brain! I explained to her why she would freeze and lose all ability to think and reason when she felt triggered by this past trauma. Her amygdala was on fire and therefore she couldn’t access logic or the words she wanted to say to her son. I explained further how she truly could take deep breaths, step away until she was calm, and allow herself to access the right words since her prefrontal cortex would then be "in charge." She began to cry happy tears, and said she wished someone would have explained this to her sooner, because it actually made sense, and she felt like she COULD have some control over her emotions after all! We made a plan of how she could think of what she wanted to say BEFORE her amygdala was fired up, write it down, and read it when she and her son were arguing. She now had the awareness of WHY she couldn't help him when they BOTH were triggered by their past trauma. She said that it couldn't have come at a better time, since her son has been so depressed as a result of the affects of COVID-19. We spoke again just yesterday, and she asked if she could take the Starr course herself to learn more about trauma and the brain since talking with me about it was such a complete breakthrough for herself and her son! I'm convinced now more than ever that the information I gained from these 2 courses was priceless, because it gave me the knowledge and the "words" needed to give a family hope!