Hi Krys,
I like that you are also working with the children about the "brain on stress." This is a component that we are adding this year. So far, we have been making all of these changes and the staff have been in the loop as to why we have made the changes, but for the most part, we have not talked to the students about "why" we are doing these things. They have not complained, they seem to be appreciating having more choices and more say in their education. But now that most of the systems are in place, we want to help students understand what they are experiencing so that they can be more cognizant of their triggers, the reasons behind their anger, and the reason why we focus so much attention to decreasing conflict and creating an interconnected community.
As for funding, if you are working with schools, it might be worth talking with the finance director to see if you could be added into their Title 1 budget (services to students) or to their Title 2 budget (teacher training). These budgets might already be set for the 2014-2015 school year, but schools (at least in MN) have the ability to modify their budgets well into the 2014-2015 school year. Also, if you are working with children in schools, it might be worth finding out how many of the students are in special education. Maybe the school could add your services to their special education program.
I've also been looking for grant opportunities to fund parts of our program. If I see anything that might work, I'll send you the information.