Support Can't Wait Until Crisis What if we stopped waiting for children to reach a breaking point before helping them? Across PA, families and schools are seeing the signs of children and teens struggling with their mental wellness, but too often, support...
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Mental Health
State Rules Steal Big Gift from Kids
The Gift of Strong Minds, Bright Futures While we're in the gift-giving season, Children First wants to give a special present to every child – good mental health. That may sound like a cliché until you learn that current state rules block families from mental...
Help Is Not On The Way – Let’s Fix That
Help is Not on the Way - Let's Fix That Imagine a dentist telling a child they won’t treat a cavity until several of the kid’s teeth have fallen out. It would be absurd. Doctors treat ailments without hesitation – unless, sadly, a child’s ailment is mental stress or...
TESTIMONY: Mental Health Needs of Children in Kensington
Testimony Presented to Philadelphia City Council Hearing on Mental Health Needs of Children in Kensington Kids Donna Cooper, Executive Director September 16, 2025 DOWNLOAD PDF Good afternoon, Council members, and thank you for the opportunity to testify. I’m Donna...
The Gift of a Stress-Free Holiday – Dec 20, 2024
TAKE CARE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON Family gatherings can be joyful or stressful (or both) for children and grown-ups alike. Packed schedules, social pressures, and tense family dynamics can leave everyone feeling overwhelmed. It’s important to remember that the...
The Gift of a Stress-Free Holiday – Dec 20, 2024
TAKE CARE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON Family gatherings can be joyful or stressful (or both) for children and grown-ups alike. Packed schedules, social pressures, and tense family dynamics can leave everyone feeling overwhelmed. It’s important to remember that the...
Dyadic Care Webinar Presentations
On Friday, October 25, 2024, Children First held a webinar on Dyadic Care called, "Caring Together: Models for Improving The Mental Well-Being of Young Children and Families." This webinar explored how dyadic care models are transforming youth mental health and how...
Strategies for Advancing Dyadic Care Models
Dyadic care in mental health is an approach that treats both the child and their caregiver together, focusing on strengthening the relationship between a child and their caregiver(s). By supporting healthy interactions, dyadic care helps strengthen emotional bonds and...
No More Waiting for Mental Healthcare – Oct 11, 2024
No More Waiting for Mental Healthcare – Oct 11, 2024
ADDRESS YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH BEFORE CRISIS ERUPTS We couldn’t say it better than State Rep. and emergency physician, Arvind Venkat, who has a unique perspective on both mental health and what lawmakers can do about it. Here is his published commentary that ran...