Five million children in the U.S. have some type of serious mental health issue that significantly interferes with their daily lives, according to webmd.com. Thirteen percent of the five million live in the Gem State.
Madison Cares is the mental health arm of the Madison School District #321. It has made an initiative to provide help, resources and education for youth and their families struggling with mental health issues.
Madison Cares will offer a free mental health education series for all who are seeking to better their mental health. Rick Croft, the program director for Madison Cares, says the education series will have classes on energy management, communicating healthy boundaries and raising digital natives. There will even be a local artist who will talk about how art can help your mental health.
"She brings paint, paper and a canvas, and her talk is about painting your anxiety away,” he said.
The classes are every Wednesday during the school year starting on September 6 from 9:45 a.m. to noon. Croft also said the district provides free childcare for families who attend the classes, though it is limited to about 15 children.
"We have staff that staff that,” he said. “They're actually kind of like across the hall, the staff that's in childcare which is close to the room the presenters are in … so all the children are still close to mom and dad.”
Once again, the classes are open to the community and are free of charge. Classes are at the Madison Education Center at 60 W. Main St. in Rexburg.
More information about the education series program and Madison Cares mental health department is on their website, just visit www.msd321.com.