OP-ED: New York’s children need mental healthcare that doesn’t end at school bell

Schools may be the first places where we see a young person struggling, but they should not be the only place where we respond.

The New York Amsterdam News recently documented a painful gap in our city, illustrating that far too many students require mental health support, yet far too few receive it. A stunning three-quarters of our public schools do not even meet the recommended staffing ratio for social workers. 

Our young people don’t experience life in institutional compartments, so staffing at our schools isn’t the only solution. Anxiety doesn’t end at dismissal and depression doesn’t end when the afternoon school bell rings to end the day. Sadly, a family crisis or an unsafe home or housing instability follows a young person into their home.

What works is a continuum of support: one that begins wherever young people first reach out and supports them in their homes, their families, and their communities.

At the Children’s Village, we see the value of that approach day in and day out. Through our Inwood House division, staff work in more than 34 New York City middle and high schools. That’s where we combine classroom-based education, small-group conversations, and individual counseling. This process surrounds our youth with adults who get to know them, notice when something troubles them, and connect them to help before a conflict can become a crisis.

We stress that this support must reach children before they even get to middle school. Our staff have seen, over the last few years, a number of elementary school-age children, including ones as young as 6 years old, struggle with family conflict, abuse, bullying, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Schools and youth programs can be among the first places where concerns emerge, yet a brief conversation or referral may be insufficient. 

While assigning existing staff to support children can help, those responsibilities must be backed by training, as well as clear pathways to qualified mental health professionals and resources to connect children and families to the care they need.

This matters deeply because the first person a youth trusts may be a teacher or coach, a counselor or mentor, or even a neighbor. We should not ask those adults to replace the work of a therapist, but we should equip them to listen and take a young person seriously, recognize warning signs, and know where to turn next.

In our work at the Children’s Village, we’ve learned that one dependable adult relationship can significantly alter the trajectory of a young person’s life. Relationships that get a young person connected to that care are as valuable and as essential as clinical care.

How do we remedy this? Our city and state leaders need to take a broader approach. Yes, they should invest in more school-based clinicians. However, they also must invest in community-based organizations that embed staff in schools and maintain effective relationships outside of the classroom walls. We also need sustained funding for prevention, early intervention, family engagement, and the everyday work of building trust.

The question shouldn’t be whether schools or community organizations are responsible for young people’s mental health. The answer, actually, is both. Youth truly need professionals and they also need people who know them, notice them, and consistently show up for them. Building a stronger mental health system means making sure they have both.

Deborah Giordano, LMSW, is vice president of the Inwood House division at the Children’s Village. Warren Kent is senior vice president for community-based services at the Children’s Village.