New Hanover County accepting applicants for childhood mental health scholarships

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - New Hanover County and Smart Start are partnering to offer scholarships to people pursuing graduate level studies in Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health (I/ECMH).

“We want our community to have the best available mental health resources, and having trained and educated professionals to help is incredibly important,” said Board of Commissioners Chair Julia Olson-Boseman in a release.

American Rescue Plan funding has allowed the county to commit $100,000 to offering the scholarships to mental health professionals, psychologists, early childhood program administrators, nurses and any others working with prenatal to 6-year-old children.

Those approved for the scholarship can receive up to $10,000 in tuition support for online I/ECMH certificate programs. Applicants must live in the county and work 30 or more hours per week in a relevant field.

You learn more or apply for the Smart Start scholarship on their website; you can also contact Smart Start of New Hanover County at 910-815-3731 with the extension 1006 or reach out to Kim Boyce at kim.boyce@newhanoverkids.org.

Copyright 2022 WECT. All rights reserved.