Kid and St. Louis Children’s nurse in a school setting. Kid is pointing to a chart that identifies emotions.
Kid and St. Louis Children’s nurse in a school setting. Kid is pointing to a chart that identifies emotions.
Close-up of student on laptop

School-Based Support throughout St. Louis

In 2021, St. Louis Children’s launched one of the largest community health strategies we have ever undertaken – and one of the largest ever to improve children’s behavioral health in the St. Louis region.

Thanks to generous donor support, we have placed virtual and embedded teams of mental health specialists in 17 schools throughout St. Louis. Together, administrators, school counselors, social workers and nurses are working to ensure our community’s most at-risk children gain access to necessary mental health services – all from the comfort and security of their own schools.

and St. Louis Children’s staff member interacting in school setting

Current State

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 in 5 kids will experience a mental health problem during their school years. In St. Louis, that translates to an estimated 125,000 kids, making behavioral healthcare one of the greatest needs in our community.

To eliminate common barriers to behavioral healthcare, St. Louis Children’s is connecting students with mental health professionals through the following in-person and virtual services:

  • Conducting therapy sessions that engage the child, family and peers.
  • Addressing students’ top needs around anger management, grief and social skills.
  • Implementing play therapy for elementary and middle school students.
  • Training and education for school staff on suicide prevention and trauma-informed care.
  • Connecting at-risk students with psychiatry services and other mental health resources in the community.

Who we serve

Pie chart showing demographic analysis of patients served – 68% Black, 17% White, 15% Other or Multiracial

 

 

Schools and districts served

  • City Garden Montessori
  • Hazelwood
  • Jennings
  • Lutheran North
  • Ritenour
  • Riverview Gardens
  • St. Louis Immersion Schools
  • The Leadership School
  • University City

Confluence Charter Schools Served

  • Aspire Academy
  • Grand Center Arts Academy
  • Old North Academy
  • South City Academy

The path forward

Donor support directly enables the expansion of free behavioral health services to the students in our community. With your help, we plan to extend St. Louis Children’s embedded and virtual mental health programs to 70 schools throughout the St. Louis region by 2026.

Behavioral Health in Schools  
School-Based Behavioral Health Annual Cost $2.7 million
School-Based Behavioral Health Endowment $50 million
Total $52.7 million