Dear Friends, 

It’s impossible to watch the news and not hear stories about how school districts in metro Denver (and across the country, for that matter) are seeing an unprecedented surge in the enrollment of migrant students. In the United States, all children are entitled to a public elementary and secondary education regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. And no matter your opinion about the migrant crisis, I hope we all can agree that children who are struggling—innocent children who are here because of the difficult decision their caregivers made to escape political unrest or economic uncertainty—desperately need mental health support to help them cope and heal from the traumas they have experienced. 

I’m proud of our KidSuccess program, which places trained JFS therapists in schools, providing children and adolescents with access to free quality mental health counseling services so they can succeed academically and emotionally. I am equally devastated to hear our therapists share what they’re seeing—children who have experienced or witnessed violence, suffered unspeakable trauma, and endured harrowing journeys to the United States, their short lives filled with more heartbreak than anyone should live through. 

In addition to having to navigate language barriers and integrate into a new way of life, these children also must deal with the effects of significant trauma, which can include an inability to concentrate, hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts, dissociation, and an inability to sleep.

Unfortunately, these students and schools need more support. Our therapists are overwhelmed, and their caseloads are unsustainable. Requests for additional therapists are growing as classrooms reach their capacity limits. We’re trying to meet the increasing needs, but I won’t lie. It’s challenging. 

I hope when you hear about the Denver school situation, you think about how our KidSuccess therapists are on the front lines making a difference, welcoming children, providing the necessary resources for them to heal, and making sure they feel safe in their new community—and it is one of the most difficult, yet fulfilling, jobs. 

With warm regards, 

Linda P. Foster
President and CEO