Mia’s struggles with behavior and mental health began when she was only in Pre-K. Her immense anger outbursts involved screaming, crying, throwing and breaking items These behaviors persisted for years, reaching an all-time intensity throughout 3rd grade, when she received 4 out of school suspensions for threatening the safety of others. Mia lives with a learning disability, which creates additional communication challenges for her when she feels dysregulated. When COVID-19 caused Mia’s school to shut down, her mom felt even more concerned about her daughter’s ability to get the help she needed to succeed emotionally, academically and socially.
But her trajectory began to shift when the Community Partnership School at Eccleston Elementary connected her with counseling and targeted case management through CHS. Mia began to meet every week with her counselor and targeted case manager to process her emotions, build confidence, learn coping skills and find support to help reach her goals. We ensured Mia received wrap-around care through consistent collaboration with her family, teachers, special education support staff and administrators
Mia’s behavior and outlook on life has changed drastically over the last 6 months. When Mia meets with her counselor, she reports feeling happy, calm and supported. “My counselor and [case manager] make me so happy,” said Mia. Mia has since gained the confidence to join a dance team and make friends in her class!
“I love to see how much she’s grown socially,” said Mia’s teacher. “She started the year off keeping to herself the majority of the time and not knowing how to have positive interactions with her peers. So happy to say that your work is really paying off.”
Eccleston Elementary, A Community Partnership School brings together high-quality academics, health care, counseling, support, mentoring and more—all where students and their families are comfortable: in their own school. Core partnerships include Children’s Home Society of Florida, Orange Blossom Family Health, Orange County Public Schools, Second Harvest Food Bank and the University of Central Florida. For more information, please contact Kea Cherfrere, Community Partnership Director serving Eccleston Elementary.
