Earlier this month, on the eighteenth, First Lady Casey DeSantis unveiled new Resiliency Florida resources to support students and parents in building resiliency both at school and at home. In addition to this, DeSantis announced a first-in-the-nation opportunity for Florida parents and grandparents to complete the training that is necessary to fulfill the role of an in-school resiliency coach. Parents, grandparents, and guardians alike who choose to participate in this new program will be eligible to receive a $150 stipend upon completion of a one-hour training and a volunteering practicum in schools. Resiliency Coach training is said to be available to parents and grandparents beginning this summer.
This program is designed to let parents, guardians, and grandparents become more involved in their children’s education by supporting students directly in the classroom. Those who decide to take part in the program can earn a $150 stipend after completing a one-hour training session and a short volunteering practicum at a school. According to officials, training for this program will start during the summer, and the volunteer hours will begin in the fall.
Resiliency coaches will help students learn important life skills, like how to handle stress, bounce back from challenges, and stay positive. These are called “resiliency traits,” and there are 11 of them in total that the program focuses on. The goal is to make sure students not only succeed academically, but also grow stronger emotionally.
Freshman Lyla Squire shares, “I think this is a great way to get the families of students more involved in education.”
This effort is part of Florida’s larger Resiliency Florida initiative, which has been adding lessons about mental health, character, and life skills into classrooms across the state. By including parents and grandparents, the program hopes to build stronger communities and give students more support both in and out of school.
“This is a great way to connect families with schools and show students that adults in their lives truly care about their success,” says Jonathan Hardy, a sophomore.
Florida school districts are now getting ready to launch the training modules and work with local schools to share volunteer opportunities for new resiliency coaches. Learning leaders say the plan might also help fix the rising mental health needs among students, mostly after the breaks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even as the initiative solicits much stronger backing from parents and teachers, a few others have raised issues regarding how fast schools will be able to accommodate this large number of volunteers and, most importantly, ensure that the implementation is consistent in all the districts. The Florida Department of Education has assured schools that it will give transparent guidance involving easy integration of volunteers, plus ensuring that the set goals for the program are indeed met.
It is the embodiment of a greater move toward community-based education which structures, facilitates, and enables and empowers students to be successful in life, not just in taking tests.
