Schools for Brain Health program coming to Manatee County
Brain development will be a focus for the School District of Manatee County thanks to the new Schools for Brain Health program.
Wednesday, the nonprofit Brain Health Initiative announced in a release that the new initiative will be first implemented at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, then extended to five other schools in Lakewood Ranch and Bayshore.
The program will feature evidence-based interventions, geared towards areas such as executive-functioning skill development, cognitive/brain training, mindfulness training and brain health literacy, for students, parents and staff alike.
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The impact of the programs on brain health for all stakeholders will be subsequently analyzed by the initiative.
“We’ve been very excited to join forces with the Brain Health Initiative to provide our students, parents/caregivers, and staff with the very latest technology, programming, and data to improve performance while addressing the overall brain health and wellness of our school family,” Manatee County Superintendent Cynthia Sanders said in the release.
Additionally, brain health and performance perception and prioritization surveys will be offered annually to high school students of participating schools and parents. There will also be a confidential brain health and performance check-up will be available annually for all stakeholders.
From the surveys, data will be utilized to determine the brain health and well-being needs of the school community, and to put together a yearly brain health strategic plan.
Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, a K-12 public charter, will be the prototype for the program. According to Principal Bradley Warren, it “fits perfectly with our W.I.S.H. model that focuses on Wellness, Innovation, Science and Health,” and is “an investment in our collective future.”
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According to Dr. Stephanie Peabody – founder and executive director of the Brain Health Initiative – “brain health and performance will be integrated in every aspect of the pilot school’s culture,” which includes, but is not limited to, the learning environment, after-school programs and outdoor learning spaces.
Via the program, Manatee County schools (and in the future, schools throughout the region) will have the opportunity to be certified as a Brain Health School Center of Excellence. This will allow the schools to become model environments of brain health enhancement and brain performance optimization, while also decreasing the risk of brain illness for all stakeholders.
The Brain Health Initiative was founded in 2020 as a joint effort with Massachusetts General Hospital – part of the Harvard Medical School system – and brings staff from the Harvard system and the state of Florida together in order to improve brain health and performance outcomes in the Suncoast.
Considering the mental health struggles associated with the onset of the pandemic (a recent meta-analysis of 17 studies found that children are experiencing unusually high rates of anxiety, depression and other mental health problems since the pandemic began) this program could be a welcome sign for families and schools.
"This novel comprehensive focus on brain health and performance and the partnership between Lakewood Ranch Prep and the Brain Health Initiative will ensure that the entire school family – including staff, students, parents/caregivers, grandparents, and the greater community – have ready access to state-of-the-art methods to increase brain health and performance outcomes," Warren said.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Schools for Brain Health program coming to Manatee County Florida
