children first Program
Mental Health Support, Right at School
Children First brings accessible mental health care directly into Denver-area schools, making it easier for students to receive support in a familiar environment. Through supervised graduate clinicians embedded within school communities, MDCC helps reduce barriers to care while supporting students’ emotional and behavioral well-being.
Children First places supervised graduate clinicians directly within school communities, making mental health support part of an environment students already know and trust. Students can receive individualized support during the school day, reducing barriers such as transportation, scheduling, cost, and difficulty connecting with outside providers.
Working within the school community also allows clinicians to better understand the environments students navigate every day and, when appropriate, coordinate with families and school staff to support the whole child.
What Children
First
Supports
Anxiety & Stress
Helping students develop strategies for managing worry, stress, and overwhelming emotions.
Emotional Regulation
Building skills to recognize, understand, and manage emotions.
Trauma & Grief
Providing trauma-informed support as students navigate difficult experiences and loss.
School & Life Transitions
Supporting students through changes at school, home, and in their communities.
Individualized Mental Health Support
Meeting students where they are with care responsive to their individual needs, strengths, and experiences.
Relationships & Social Skills
Strengthening communication, relationships, boundaries, and social-emotional skills.
🎓155
children received school-based mental health support through Children First in 2025.
💬1,964
COUNSELING SESSIONSDELIVER IN SCHOOL-BASED SETTINGS IN 2025.
How Children First Works
- Students Are Connected to Support
Schools help identify students who may benefit from additional mental health support and connect them with Children First. - Care Happens at School
Students can meet with their clinician in a familiar school environment, reducing barriers to accessing care. - Clinicians Receive Supervision
Graduate-level clinicians provide care as part of their year-long clinical internship under the supervision of a fully licensed MDCC clinician, with ongoing training and consultation. - Care Responds to Each Student
Support is individualized around each student’s needs, strengths, experiences, and goals, with outcome measures used to track progress and impact. - Insurance Helps Support Access
MDCC bills insurance when applicable and works with schools and families to help make care accessible regardless of financial barriers.revention
Why School-Based Care Works
Children First brings mental health care into a familiar environment where students already spend their day, reducing barriers like transportation, scheduling, cost, and finding an available provider. Being part of the school community can also create stronger connections among students, families, educators, and mental health professionals when appropriate. At the same time, Children First helps prepare the next generation of clinicians. Graduate clinicians gain meaningful experience supporting children and families as part of their year-long clinical internship, with supervision, consultation, and professional development from MDCC.
By bringing care and clinical training together, Children First supports students today while helping build Colorado’s behavioral health workforce for the future.
Where We Partner
For the 2026–27 school year, Children First is bringing school-based mental health care directly to students across 8 Denver-area schools, serving elementary, middle, and high school communities. By providing counseling where students already spend their day, we make mental health support easier for students and families to access.
Bring Children First to Your School
Interested in expanding mental health support for students at your school? MDCC works with school communities to develop accessible, responsive mental health services that meet students and families where they are.
