Three University of North Texas faculty members have received a $313,000 grant to help local school children improve academically and achieve mental wellness.

The grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health will support the work of Dee Ray, Natalya Lindo and Peggy Ceballos all from UNT’s Department of Counseling and Higher Education in the College of Education. They received the grant to support their project, "Play for the Future: Linking Mental Health to Academic Achievement for Young Children." The three professors will be offering play therapy, parent and teacher education, consultation, and additional initiatives to five schools across Denton and Little Elm during the three years of the grant.

“We are excited and eager to serve the children and families of Denton County through our partnership with local schools,” said Ray. “Our delivery of play therapy services to children, parents, and teachers in local public schools will be directed toward improving emotional wellness and academic achievement. And we are incredibly grateful to the Hogg Foundation who are committed to the mental health and progress of children.

The Play for the Future project is an initiative of the Center for Play Therapy at UNT, which uses play therapy services as the cornerstone for improving academic and emotional wellness of young children. Play therapy and its adult-related programs have recently been recognized as evidence-based interventions for general functioning, disruptive and internalizing disorders, anxiety, and family cohesion, Ray said. Play for the Future will target schools within the Denton and Little Elm Independent School districts classified by the state of Texas with 64-85 percent economically disadvantaged students and 55-72 percent of the school population as at-risk academically.