WILLIAMS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Mental well-being has become the focus of many educational programs following the coronavirus pandemic.
"Now that students are back in school, schools are realizing that and seeing how mental health has impacted their success in the classroom," said Amelia Colon, a Wilson Area School District counselor who works in both Williams Township and Avona elementary schools.
- 80 calming kits have been created for students in Wilson Area School District
- The kits will be used as mental health tools
- Items in the boxes include kinetic sand, LEGOS, and Play-Doh among other sensory items
"Providing different resources has been a priority in all school districts," she said.
Now some Wilson Area School District students are getting calming kits as a mental health tool, as well.
Eighty students in kindergarten through eighth grade were given calming kits that include Legos, kinetic sand and Play-Doh, among other sensory-stimulating items.
The idea came from Kim Hopkins, executive director of Wilson Area Partners in Education Foundation. The foundation is a separate nonprofit that works very closely with the school district to determine needs and help fill holes in the budget.
"One of the things we really wanted to make sure was that it wasn't just tchotchke items, but that everything was very therapeutic.”Kim Hopkins, executive director of the Wilson Area Partners in Education Foundation
Hopkins collaborated with St. Luke’s University Health Network to decide what went into each kit.
"One of the things that was really important to us was that the kits were filled with quality items with choices," Hopkins said. “Each item was really carefully curated, so that there would be a lot of options to appeal to each student.
"One of the things we really wanted to make sure was that it wasn't just tchotchke items, but that everything was very therapeutic.”
Wilson Student Services Director Laura Samson said the boxes are being distributed to children who have a formal diagnosis or who are known to have mental health situations that may need more attention.
"The calming kits are individualized for each student," Samson said. "Each student gets their own kit, and they're meant to help students with their coping skills. So if they're feeling that their mental health is impeding their learning, it really helps with their independence, because they can just go to their kit and take out what works for them."
Hopkins said there are 35 kits for elementary pupils and 45 for the students at the intermediate level. She said Magellan behavioral health of Pennsylvania funded the kits, which already are in use in the classrooms and in the district's counselors offices.
"Providing those coping skills for our students is essential if meaningful learning is going to occur, so the kits have really helped with the students,” Samson said.
The goal is to offer more calming kits in the 2023-24 school year.
