Franciscan Children’s Announces Expansion of Children’s Wellness Initiative within Boston Public Schools

BOSTON – Franciscan Children’s, a leading provider of pediatric mental health care for children and adolescents, today announced the expansion of its Children’s Wellness Initiative (CWI) into two additional Boston Public Schools for the 2018-19 academic year.

CWI, which provides school-based mental health counseling combined with outreach, education, and prevention, has expanded its program into Mattapan’s Mattahunt Elementary School and Mildred Avenue Middle School. With these additions, CWI now services eight schools in Boston, including the Baldwin Early Learning Center (Brighton), Thomas A. Edison K8 School (Brighton), Jackson/Mann K-8 School (Allston), Sarah Greenwood School (Dorchester), Winship Elementary School (Brighton) and the Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School.

“By identifying and addressing potential mental health issues earlier in a child’s development, we can allow young learners to reach their fullest potential,” said CWI Program Director Kristan Bagley-Jones, LICSW. “CWI staff work full-time in the schools and truly become a part of the fabric of those communities. Being present in the schools allows counselors to support educators in their vital work. This collaborative, team-based approach to managing a student’s wellbeing, tackling the many underlying emotional, social and family factors that can affect a child’s performance in school, is critical to their long-term academic and personal growth.”

The goal is of CWI is to make it easier for children and families to receive the social and emotional help they need, while also decreasing the stigma surrounding mental health. The CWI staff works full-time within the schools to provide individual counseling, family sessions and consults with educators, and with this expansion, anticipates serving around 500 children and families per year.

CWI extends Franciscan Children’s mental health services into Boston Public Schools by providing school-based mental health counseling for students in grades K through 8, combined with outreach, education and prevention. The program was established 13 years ago at Jackson/Mann K-8 School in Allston.

“CWI’s model of providing on-site clinicians full-time has been an added bonus to the work we are doing in BPS to support children’s social, emotional and mental health,” said Andria Amador, Senior Director of Behavioral Health Services, Boston Public Schools. “They are a trusted agency-partner with BPS in our effort to improve access to care for our students and their families.”

The care for children in CWI continues 12 months a year, whether it is at summer camps or in-home. Counseling referrals are made by parents, teachers and students, and the program provides outreach and support for parents and guardians all year long.