TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida is working to help students and future Floridians become more resilient.

During a roundtable discussion at Florida State University on Wednesday, March 22, First lady Casey DeSantis announced $21 million in funding to reframe mental health education with a focus on resiliency.

In October 2022, the Florida Department of Education amended a rule that shifts the focus of the 5 hours of required mental health instruction to ‘Resiliency Education Standards.’

Rooted in the idea of “pulling oneself up by the bootstraps,” the newly adopted standards incorporate key resiliency skills, including: grit, perseverance, gratitude, personal responsibility, volunteerism, critical thinking, problem-solving, empathy, citizenship and honesty.

The goal is to impart these skills of resiliency in early grades, while supporting students as they implement these concepts as they get older, according to a release from the governor’s office.

The new standards also include concepts of civic responsibility through citizenship and mentorship, according to the release, “to not only help students understand the value of these ideas, but to engage in activities and exercises that will prepare them to be upstanding, responsible citizens.”

During the event, DeSantis said the funding will create and distribute resiliency curriculum, including parent and teacher toolkits:

• Production, promotion, and distribution of resiliency materials in schools, out-of-school time programs and other student-related community organizations;
• Coordination of school and community-based events that centralize around parental involvement with student education, with a focus on resiliency and civic and character education; and
• Purchasing of materials aligned to the FDOE Resiliency Toolkit.

“I am thrilled to see how our efforts to reframe and rethink mental health will equip our students and future Floridians to be more resilient,” said Casey DeSantis. “We also know that by incentivizing parental involvement in schools, our students will benefit academically and culturally from the positive influence of mentorship.”

As a part of Florida’s focus on resiliency, the Department of Education plans to create four new pathways for parents to serve in their schools and for educators to “take on the next level of resiliency” as resiliency coaches, mentors, school counselor apprentices and resiliency educators.

Resiliency Coach: Resiliency Coaches serve as a first layer of support to students facing day-to-day challenges. Moms, dads and community members can take training covering counseling standards and resiliency education standards to achieve a certification as a resiliency coach.

Certified School Counselor & Endorsement of School Counseling Mentor: These counselors and mentors will support all students in building the characteristics of resiliency. Parents and professionals in the community will be trained in the new school counseling standards as well as the resiliency education standards, in addition to holding state certification. School counselors who plan to oversee the work of a School Counseling Apprentice may seek the endorsement of School Counseling Mentor.

School Counseling Apprentice: Apprentices will support students experiencing challenges and in need of additional mentorship. These individuals will work under the guidance of a School Counselor. Apprentices will be trained in all school counseling standards, resiliency education standards, and other topics that would support students in building the characteristics of Resiliency.

Resiliency Endorsed Educator: These educators will receive additional training on counseling standards and resiliency standards to be endorsed as resiliency educators. This endorsement provides an additional layer of support for students facing day-to-day challenges.

Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded over 4,000 Florida teachers on Thursday with a $3,000 bonus for being the first to complete the Civics Seal of Excellence endorsement course — a 50-hour program for teachers aimed at expanding civics education in Florida schools through the Florida’s Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative. 

The Florida legislature also passed a bill yesterday that expands Florida's school choice voucher system to all families, regardless of income or zip code.