Building on the work of Years 1 and 2, Region 1 will continue to support the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) in using geographic information system (GIS) maps to create a holistic snapshot in the availability and type of mental health supports available to students across the state. In addition, the Region 1 team will continue supporting public dissemination of the GIS maps, including the PreK map.
In Year 3, the AOE has increased its focus on serving the mental health and social emotional needs of its students. Concerns exist regarding the availability of school- and community-based providers needed to serve students. Through this project, the AOE increased organizational capacity by accessing and using data related to mental health services, housed by the Department of Health and Human Services. The AOE will using the maps to understand regional mental health resources and make better informed decisions related to policy, technical assistance support, or targeted funding.
In Year 4, the project will continue to create resources on how to use the GIS map, provide data analysis sessions with stakeholders, and train staff to maintain and update the GIS map
Learn more about this project in our blog: Mapping the Availability of Universal PreK in Vermont