The  Cook Center for Human Connection has recently been awarded a $3.99 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) for its groundbreaking program, “Helping Helpers Help.” 

The program targets 83 middle schools in New Mexico and Arizona, addressing systemic access inequalities and reducing barriers to mental health support and suicide prevention materials. (The DOE's recent announcement of $277 million in grant awards included $87.2 million for social-emotional well-being, underscoring the urgency of the youth mental health crisis.)

Anne Brown, CEO of the Cook Center, emphasizes the program’s crucial role in empowering educators, parents, and caregivers. Through ParentGuidance.org, it provides one-on-one parent coaching, interactive webinars, and online courses.

The EIR grant will help ParentGuidance.org connect with high-need areas, advancing the Cook Center’s model through pilot testing, iterative improvements, and rigorous evaluation. In just two years, the model has been adopted by 229 districts and 3,617 schools across 37 states.