CHICOPEE — The Healey-Driscoll administration announced that it is awarding $5.54 million in grants to 60 school districts, educational collaboratives and charter schools across Massachusetts to improve student access to behavioral and mental health services and support.
Chicopee Public Schools received $100,000 and Chicopee Public Schools Counseling Director Abbey Tenczar talked about the funds and how they will be used in Chicopee.
The funding could have been used to create or expand comprehensive, integrated systems of student support and aims, through collaboration with families and educators, to build strong local school partnerships with community-based mental health agencies and/or providers.
In addition, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provided related professional development for school district staff.
Tenczar explained that the funds will used to support Chicopee’s continued partnerships with community agencies like River Valley Counseling Center, ensuring school-based therapy remains accessible to students.
They will also maintain its contract with Care Solace, a mental health care coordination service that connects students, families and staff with local mental health providers.
Additionally, the funds will support the continuation of Breathe for Change yoga and social-emotional learning workshops, as well as a Mental Health Task Force, which includes staff, community members and agency representatives.
Funding will also be used for professional development focused on mental health and social-emotional learning skill development.
Tenczar said, “Staff training on multi-tiered system of support will help ensure students are identified and receive appropriate tiered interventions.
A new initiative this year is the implementation of a Universal Mental Health Screener. This tool will help identify students who may need additional support.
Tenczar talked about the mental health screener and said, “These funds directly support students by providing wrap-around mental health services, increasing access to SEL programming, and ensuring staff receive training to better support students’ emotional well-being. The new Universal Mental Health Screener will allow us to proactively identify students who need additional resources.”
The funding also could have been used to help strengthen skills to recognize and respond to mental and behavioral health challenges, establish cross-system coordination to improve integration of behavioral and mental health supports and ensure seamless transitions between schools and communities, and improve data systems to track efforts and impact. These grants also promote piloting universal mental health screening systems.
This is the fourth consecutive year Chicopee Public Schools have received this grant we have, and Tenczar said, “We feel incredibly fortunate that DESE continues to recognize and support this crucial work. Without this funding, we would not be able to continue some of this essential work. We are committed to expanding access to mental health services and reducing barriers for our students and families. This funding allows us to sustain and strengthen these efforts while introducing new initiatives to better support student well-being.”
Addressing the youth mental health crisis remains a priority for the Healey-Driscoll administration, and Gov. Maura Healey’s fiscal year 2026 budget includes over $21 million to support student behavioral and mental health.
“We have a mental health crisis that was only made worse by the pandemic, particularly for students. That’s why improving students’ access to behavioral and mental health care is a priority for our administration,” said Healey. “These grants will help districts connect students with the services they need to be safe, healthy and successful today and into the future.
