Youth First’s mission is to strengthen youth and families by providing evidence-based programs that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and maximize student success.
Our mission is to strengthen youth and families through evidence-based programs that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and maximize student success!
Our mission is to strengthen youth and families through evidence-based programs that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and maximize student success.
For more information about Youth First’s programs and services, please provide your name, email address and a brief message about the nature of your inquiry. We’ll get your contact info to the appropriate person and get back with you as soon as possible.
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A generous donor wants to ensure our future is bright with a matching gift opportunity. If we raise $100,000 each year for the next 10 years, it will be matched by this donor!
Caring for Your Own Mental Health is Part of Caring for Your Child
All Posts, Counties, Youth First BlogBy Jordyn Bryant, MSW, LCSW – September 9, 2026 – While parenting is deeply meaningful and rewarding, we cannot ignore that it is also emotionally demanding. Many parents focus so fully on their child’s needs that their own well-being gradually moves to the background. Between managing daily responsibilities, responding to a child’s emotions, balancing work […]
How Social Isolation Impacts Emotional Regulation in Young Children
All Posts, Counties, Youth First BlogBy Jordan Evans, MSW, LSW – September 2, 2026 – Emotional regulation is a child’s ability to understand, express, and manage their feelings in healthy ways. This skill begins developing early in life and continues to grow throughout childhood. Children do not learn emotional regulation on their own. Instead, they develop it through everyday interactions […]
Managing Stress in the Elementary Classroom
All Posts, Counties, Youth First BlogBy Kelly Leavitt, MSW, LSW – August 26, 2026 – Have you ever wondered how stress affects an entire school classroom? What steps can we take to manage stress before it becomes overwhelming? And how can educators recognize stress in students and help them cope? Students today are influenced by their peers in both positive […]
Coping Strategies That are (Almost) Too Cool for School
All Posts, Counties, Youth First BlogBy Holly Walther, MSW, LSW – August 19, 2026 – Many students struggle with self-regulation, the ability to monitor and manage their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and impulses. When a child needs support with self-regulation at school, it can be challenging to identify coping strategies within the structure of a classroom. For example, a student may […]
Helping Children Build Motivation: Small Steps Toward Success
All Posts, Counties, Youth First BlogBy Hannah Boutkan, MSW, LSW – August 13, 2026 – Children are born with an innate desire to learn, grow, and explore the world around them. As they get older, however, environmental, social, mental, and emotional factors can affect that motivation, especially when it comes to school and everyday responsibilities. While adults cannot force a […]