MONDAY MEMO #82
- Jun 30
- 6 min read
Happy Monday, partners! This week we are highlighting a range of resources, including early childhood, education, healthcare, as well as professional development and funding opportunities. Before we dive in, here are a few highlights from the RG team:
RG Highlights
Thank you to everyone who joined our June Lunch & Learn on Mental Health Parity. We’re grateful to Sarah Phillips with The Carter Center for sharing insights on how parity policies affect behavioral health access across Georgia. Participants explored how, despite existing federal and state laws, many individuals still face barriers such as coverage limitations, prior authorization, and network challenges. Resources from the session—including the recording, slide deck, and partner tools like the Communications Toolkit and the Dashboard are available, along with an opportunity to continue the conversation at The Carter Center’s upcoming “Coverage and Culture” symposium on Workplace Mental Health on August 20 in Atlanta. We also encourage you to complete the brief survey to help shape future sessions.
Changing Lanes Intervention Human Services (CLI) is launching recruitment and training for anyone interested in becoming a Registered Behavior Technician, or Behavior Coach. Anyone who would like to learn about Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) or about mental health counseling jobs and training opportunities in the field can text "ABA" or ¨Jobs¨ to 770-256-3977. For more information about CLI, please visit their website. The site contains updated information about all of our behavioral and mental health services, including information for Spanish speakers.
Georgia Essentials for Childhood has launched the Family Well-Being Messaging Library, a centralized collection of tools, trainings, podcasts, webinars, educational resources, and more designed to support organizations and professionals in promoting child and family well-being. Grounded in a strengths-based, whole-family approach, the library advances shared language and messaging practices that help create the conditions for safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments where children and families can thrive. Check it out and share widely!
Participants Wanted! A new research opportunity led by Dr. Robin Brooks, Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, is seeking participants in the Atlanta metro area for an IRB-approved study on grief and emotional wellness in Black communities. The study explores experiences of loss and bereavement, with current recruitment focused on Black men in their 20s-30s who have experienced the death of a close family member. Participation involves a confidential 1–2 hour interview, and participants will receive a $20 Visa gift card. Connect directly at rob88@pitt.edu.
Coalition Highlights
Resilient Communities of Southwest Georgia: June is Men’s Health Month, an annual observance dedicated to raising awareness about the physical and mental health challenges facing men and boys. The Vashti Center wrote a blog focusing on the importance of shared responsibility, education, and community support in improving men’s well-being. Mental health remains a critical concern, with men nearly four times more likely than women to die by suicide and many delaying or avoiding treatment due to stigma and cultural expectations surrounding masculinity. Raising awareness, encouraging open conversations, and connecting men to resources such as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and local mental health services can help reduce stigma and promote earlier support.
Resilient Communities of Marshland Georgia invite you to join a free Connections Matter Community Training on July 8 from 12:00–3:00 PM in Brunswick. This interactive training facilitated by Resilient Georgia’s Nikki Warner helps folks understand trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), resilience, and child brain development while exploring practical strategies to strengthen individual and community well-being and support those affected by traumaOpen to all community members, particularly those working with children and families, the training includes lunch, a $100 gift card for attendees who complete the full session sponsored by the Red Cross.
Early Childhood
Practical Certificate in Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: The Georgetown Thrive Center hosted a webinar on what effective Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) truly looks like, emphasizing that while interventions like art, play, and gym therapy are valuable, they are not the same as consultation. To support the field, they’ve released a recording, slides, and a toolkit from the session. Recognizing the ongoing challenge of finding qualified consultants—and that training programs take time while teachers need immediate support—Georgetown is now offering virtual IECMHC services with flexible options, immediate availability, and no hiring or waitlists, providing an accessible, cost-effective way for childcare programs to connect staff with qualified mental health consultation.
Education
Georgia is leading the nation in school safety The Georgia DOE has introduced Aligning Student Supports for Safer Schools, a first-of-its-kind resource that integrates BTAM with Georgia’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (GaMTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Developed in partnership with national experts, the guide offers practical strategies to help schools identify early warning signs, coordinate responses, and connect students with appropriate supports before concerns escalate. Through tools such as a fictional case study, the resource demonstrates how aligning prevention, intervention, and student support systems can strengthen school safety, improve climate, and promote student well-being.
Have You Heard of Respectful Ways? Respectful Ways is a trauma-informed social and emotional learning program designed for PreK–12 schools and their surrounding communities, providing educators and counselors with a shared language and practical tools to support both everyday student challenges and more complex behavioral needs, with the goal of creating classrooms where every student feels safe, seen, and ready to learn. In addition to its core programming, Respectful Ways offers professional development grounded in real-world scenarios, equipping teachers, school staff, and community partners with strategies to strengthen trauma-informed practices and support student wellbeing.
Funding
The Atlanta United Community Fund (AUCF) is accepting Letters of Intent (LOIs) through June 30 for the next phase of its GA 100 initiative, which aims to build or upgrade 100 soccer pitches in under-resourced communities across Georgia. Eligible organizations can receive matching grants of up to $100,000 per field to develop mini or full-sized soccer pitches, with funding intended to help close final project funding gaps. Projects must focus solely on pitch construction and demonstrate that most project funding has already been secured. Organizations with approved LOIs will be invited to submit a full application in mid-July, with award recipients announced by November 30, 2026.
The Promise Neighborhoods Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, is offering approximately $52 million in discretionary grant funding to improve academic and developmental outcomes for children and youth in distressed communities. Implementation grants ranging from $4 million to $6 million over a 60-month project period will support comprehensive, community-based services that promote school readiness, academic success, high school graduation, and access to high-quality supports. Eligible projects must serve high-poverty neighborhoods and schools with significant needs, while ensuring services are accessible to children with disabilities and English learners. Approximately nine implementation grants are expected to be awarded. A Notice of Intent to Apply is due June 22 and full applications due August 6, 2026.
Healthcare
AAP Trauma-Informed Pediatric Care and Resilience Promotion ECHO Registration: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is offering a revised Trauma-Informed Pediatric Care and Resilience ECHO series for primary care providers and pediatric healthcare professionals. This virtual training helps participants develop practical skills to recognize and respond to child trauma, facilitate supportive conversations with children and families, and promote resilience in pediatric care. Participants can choose from the following cohorts held on Tuesdays: July 14–August 25 or September 8–October 20, 2026, from 2:00–3:00PM CT.
Professional Development
Creating Stability for Children and Caregivers: Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child is hosting the Strengthening Stability: Actionable Strategies to Support Young Children and Caregivers webinar on July 2 from 12–1PM ET to explore how stability across areas such as housing, employment, health care, education, and community support influences healthy child development. Panelists will discuss practical strategies and evidence-based frameworks that organizations and communities can use to strengthen family stability, promote economic mobility, and improve outcomes for young children and caregivers.
The Georgia Conference on Child Abuse Prevention will take place on September 16, 2026, in Peachtree City, Georgia, bringing together professionals from across the state to explore strategies for preventing, intervening in, and treating child maltreatment. Hosted by PCA Georgia, Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children, and Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, the conference theme, "Collective Care in the Storm," focuses on strengthening families, building community resilience, and promoting child abuse prevention through collaboration and shared responsibility. Attendees can participate in workshops, networking opportunities, and discussions on innovative, family-centered approaches that support healing and resilience in communities. Register here!
THANK YOU FROM THE RESILIENT GEORGIA TEAM!