The Main Street Academy is proud to be recognized as a Grief-Sensitive School by the New York Life Foundation for our participation in the Grief-Sensitive School Initiative. This recognition highlights our commitment to providing a supportive environment for students coping with grief. We are honored to have been acknowledged by the Foundation and look forward to continuing to build upon this partnership.
Schools confront issues of grief and loss every day: 1 in 15 US children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. Studies show that unresolved grief can have a social and emotional impact on children, leading to behavioral issues and poor performance in school. Yet educators often feel under-prepared to help, with the vast majority of teachers reporting they have not received any bereavement training.
Through the Grief-Sensitive Schools Initiative – a pioneering effort to better equip schools to care for the grieving students in their midst – trained New York Life ambassadors connect with educators in their local communities to raise awareness and understanding of grief’s prevalence and impact among school-age children.
The program is an extension of the work of the Coalition to Support Grieving Students, a collaboration among leading K-12 professional organizations, to develop and deliver best-in-class grief support resources to educators. The New York Life Foundation founded the Coalition in 2013, in partnership with the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, as part of its commitment to improving schools’ ability to reach their grieving students. (source: New York Life Foundation)