A presentation was given on a therapeutic classroom grant the Washington Community School District received at the recent board meeting.

Curriculum Director Veta Thode explained that the new program is called the NESTT Center, which stands for Navigating Emotions and Stress Through Teaching. The district was one of six that were awarded $1.6 million total in therapeutic classroom incentive grants from the Iowa Department of Education. Superintendent Willie Stone noted that Washington received $542,025, which is about a third of the total funds given. Thode credited that to the staff group that worked on the application and specifically Special Education Director Ashley Reedy for helping provide the specific vision for the grant. Thode explains that the NESTT Center will be a three-tiered system that serves all students with a mental health focus, “Tier one, universal tier: this is where robust instruction for all students in the social, emotional learning and behavioral expectations will occur and that’s for all students. Tier two: that’ll be the small group, supplemental, evidence-based instruction for some students. Those students that need a little bit of extra, but they also are still continuing to give the universal tier. Tier three: that’s the intensive, individual support for a few students. Tier three is where the NESTT Center lays.”

The NESTT Center will have classroom teachers in each of the four school buildings, including Nicole Gish as the director. Beth Dehogues has been hired in the entirely new position of School Family Liaison who will work across the district to address mental health needs and support student success. Thode mentioned that she has applied for an additional $100,000 grant that would be used to support tier one. This program will be implemented in the upcoming school year.