The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Save the Children Partner to Support Grieving Children

LOS ANGELES (July 24, 2024)The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Save the Children are announcing a strategic partnership, designed to support grieving children throughout the United States.

Save the Children is dedicated to making a difference in the most rural and underprivileged areas of the United States, where economic challenges are compounded by limited resources, geographic isolation, and widening disparities. In 2022, their efforts touched the lives of over 580,000 children across 30 states.

At the forefront of this mission is the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement (NCSCB), which leads the Coalition to Support Grieving Students. Through a collaborative effort involving medical, mental health, and educational professionals, the NCSCB offers a comprehensive array of services. These include confidential on-site and remote technical assistance for K-12 school leadership and professionals, practical guidance accessible via a 24/7 toll-free helpline and email, ongoing support during crises and recovery periods, educational resources, crisis management tools, staff training sessions, and community presentations, as well as professional development opportunities.

Research from the Coalition to Support Grieving Students, co-founded by NCSCB and the New York Life Foundation, revealed that many educators and school personnel felt ill-equipped and hesitant when supporting students coping with grief. Concerns ranged from fear of saying or doing the wrong thing to uncertainty about how to navigate sensitive discussions.

Recognizing this pressing need, Save the Children, as a leading national organization serving rural children, is committed to equipping rural schools and communities with the necessary training and resources to support grieving students. This commitment stems from their strategic focus on providing psychosocial support in rural areas.

Leveraging their strong relationships with families and communities in rural America, Save the Children prioritizes outreach efforts to connect their staff, school personnel, and other partners with NCSCB's trainings and resources. The mutual goal is to ensure that all Save the Children staff and partner personnel in their partner communities have access to NCSCB's materials and support resources, thereby broadening the reach of this critical assistance.

About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Founded in 1901, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is at the forefront of pediatric medicine and is the largest provider of hospital care for children in California. Children’s Hospital is home to renowned experts who work together across disciplines to deliver inclusive and compassionate care, and drive advances that set pediatric standards across the nation and around the globe. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles provides a level of care to its diverse population of children that is among the best in the world. The hospital is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation on U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of Best Children’s Hospitals, including No. 1 in California and No. 1 in the Pacific U.S. region. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles embraces its mission to create hope and build healthier futures. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is among the top 10 children’s hospitals for National Institutes of Health funding. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles supports the full continuum of research, allowing physicians and scientists to translate discoveries into treatments and bring answers to families faster. The pediatric academic medical center also is home to one of the largest training programs for pediatricians in the United States. And the hospital’s commitment to building strong communities is evident in CHLA’s efforts to fight food insecurity, enhance health education and literacy, and introduce more people to careers in health care. To learn more, follow CHLA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter, and visit CHLA.org/blog.