Naperville Education Foundation and district expand RISE mental-health supports for students

The Naperville Education Foundation and Naperville CUSD 203 outlined an expanded mental-health referral and counseling effort during the board's May 4 meeting. Wendy Gooch, executive director of the Naperville Education Foundation, summarized NEF's grants and programs and said the foundation has provided more than $698,000 in opportunities to students so far this school year.

The district then presented the RISE pilot's evolution, with Miss McKinney, assistant superintendent for student services, introducing a multi-agency team behind the effort. Kim Dreisbach, supervisor of social work services, said phase 1 connected families in seven schools and that phase 2 sharpened eligibility and referral processes to focus on access to mental-health counseling.

"By expanding our eligibility and refining our internal referral process, we have seen a direct and significant impact," Dreisbach said, reporting the program supported 118 students last year and 146 students so far this year. The team described partnerships that place therapists in schools through Linden Oaks and use Referral GPS for community and telehealth referrals.

Andrea Fisher, a Linden Oaks counselor embedded in two schools through the RISE partnership, described a de-identified case in which quick school referral and care navigation allowed a student and her mother to begin therapy quickly. "The referral GPS team stepped in to help and successfully connected her to a local counseling agency offering telehealth services," Fisher said, adding that the family began receiving services without the standard delays.

Amit Thacker, founder of Referral GPS, described the care-navigation work that helps families match to appropriate providers and overcome barriers such as insurance, timing and language. "Sometimes it's a timing component," Thacker said. "We work with families to figure out how to meet them where they are." He emphasized that telehealth expands the district's network for specialized needs.

Board members praised the program's expansion and the district's partnerships. Trustee Amanda McMillan thanked NEF for data-driven decision-making that allowed the program to evolve from serving about 25 families to serving more students through embedded counseling and navigation; trustee Melissa Kelly Black highlighted follow-up care and the program's effect on classroom engagement. Trustees asked how RISE handles summer months and schools with low referral rates; presenters said counselors can continue services over summer for continuing cases and coordinators provide refresher outreach to buildings that underutilize referrals.

NEF also announced a planned Kid Booster Resource Center to centralize clothing, winter gear and personal-care supplies and to provide vocational opportunities for Connections students. Wendy Gooch said the center would protect dignity and confidentiality while improving distribution and donor coordination.

The district said RISE continues to rely on grants and partnerships for funding and that administrators are researching additional grant opportunities and collaborations to sustain services.