Culturally competent mental health services are critically needed in New Bedford. According to Southcoast Health’s 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment, one in five adults in New Bedford report having poor mental health — double the national average. Along with poor mental health comes comorbidities such as substance abuse disorder and suicidal ideation and behavior. Of the 2,872 students attending New Bedford Public Schools, for instance, 10.4% report that they have seriously considering suicide, and 3.3% have exhbited suicidal behaviors.

As is the case elsewhere, South Coast residents — especially youth — with poor mental health are significantly more likely to experience encounters with the criminal justice system. Nationwide, 70% of youth who become involved with the juvenile justice system have at least one diagnosable mental health disorder, and 20-25% have serious emotional issues. Of the more than two-thirds of youth with mental health problems involved with the juvenile justice system, most can be safely and more effectively treated in community settings.

Social justice starts at birth. During the first five years of a child’s life, 90% of brain growth occurs, establishing the architecture and foundation for that child’s future success in life. Families who have access to high-quality early education and wraparound services – where parents are provided with caregiving support such as The Basics Southcoast, and infants and toddlers have consistent, daily interactions with experienced early educators and trained mental health specialists – are significantly more likely to thrive and avoid the school-to-prison pipeline.

With this in mind NorthStar’s new Early Education & Community Center (EECC) takes a holistic approach to child development: weaving together the New Bedford community, early educators, academic thought-leaders, families, and mental health professionals – all working together to ensure the life-long success of NorthStar’s children. Our new EECC will:

-Serve as a regional professional development center, providing 25 participants per training to gain tools and learn best practices on trauma-informed teaching in early education;

-Act as the hub for The Basics Southcoast, partnering with WIC, New Bedford Family Resource Center and Southcoast Health, NorthStar to offer parenting and caregiving support groups for people caring for children under age 6; and,

-Provide children and families with licensed mental health services, ensuring parents and children have access to compassionate, culturally competent care during the most critical years of a child’s life.

With almost 50 years of Early Education and Care experience, NorthStar has provided sophisticated early education and care practices for nearly five decades, serving New Bedford’s highest-need children, youth, and families. NorthStar eschews the practices of other early education providers of suspending and expelling young children who exhibit behavioral challenges or significant trauma, and instead, NorthStar welcomes children experiencing these realities. NorthStar’s mental health and trauma- informed approaches to early education and care have produced positive outcomes, where 95% of our early childhood program graduates are Kindergarten ready, compared to 66% statewide.

To learn more about NorthStar and our new Early Education & Community center, please visit www.northstarlc.org/contirbute.