A current focus, and most recent program addition, is to expand our capacity to support children in the local community through scholastic outreach. Before 2022, we have only been
able to provide support to schools and local organizations when called upon (often for crisis support) rather than proactively having grief support in place when needed. To address the need of grief support in our community, the addition of our program and outreach manager has allowed us to be proactive about connecting with the local school districts to provide them with tangible resources and support groups for grieving students.
The program is designed for kindergarteners through 12th graders, serving ages 5-18, and reside within one of the seven school districts of Centre County: Bald Eagle, Bellefonte, Keystone Central, Philipsburg-Osceola, Penns Valley, State College, or Tyrone. Not only does the program benefit the students involved, but it also helps their families and the loved ones who support them.
Tides is working with each district to identify schools and create a custom program that meets their needs free of charge. Proposed services are designed to:
- Educate school counselors, faculty, and staff
- Build and facilitate grief peer support groups within the schools
- Distribute grief toolboxes, including coping tools and books for counselors and teachers
- Offer crisis support following a death
- Provide “Bags of Hope”—or grief support bags—for grieving children to take home. Items include: age-appropriate and grief-specific information as well as coping and comfort items
If your school is interested in learning more about our services, please contact Angie Kempf at angie.kempf@tidesprogram.org or (814) 692-2233.
Looking for more information about Tides school-based programming? Please contact Angie Kempf at angie.kempf@tidesprogram.org.