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Project Title: In-home Mental Health Therapy Services
2023 – 2024 Funding: $146,486
2024 – 2025 Funding: $85,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $85,000
Project Summary: Cornerstones of Care’s Outpatient Counseling services help children and families address the effects of trauma, improve stress management skills, and reduce or eliminate the need for psychiatric hospitalization. Major life events, traumatic experiences and mental health challenges can significantly impact a person’s ability to successfully function at seemingly easy day-to-day tasks. Cornerstones of Care specializes in treating trauma symptoms in youth who have suffered physical and or sexual abuse, are experiencing mental health issues, and those with developmental disabilities with co-occurring disorders. CSF provides funding for uninsured and underinsured children and their families for home-based therapeutic services. Services for children include Individual Therapy, Play Therapy Techniques, Family Therapy, Assessment, Intake/Screening, and Treatment Planning. The goal is to support children to manage or improve family and school dynamics or functions. Through outpatient counseling, children experience personal growth by learning skills to process loss and prepare for the future.
Presentation to the Board:
Cornerstones of Care – 12/11/24
Cornerstones of Care – 6/18/25
Learn more about Cornerstones of Care here.
2018 – 2020 Funding: $181,020
2020 – 2021 Funding: $517,196
2021 – 2022 Funding: $426,178
2022 – 2023 Funding: $668,925
2023 – 2024 Funding: $664,125
2024 – 2025 Funding: $555,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $555,000
Smithville School District provides mental health services for students through counseling/therapy for individuals and groups. They also offer prevention/proactive services for both students and staff including training and resources for positive behavior supports, social-emotional learning, crisis intervention, suicide awareness, trauma-informed practices and equity.
Presentations to the Board:
Smithville School District – 05/19/21
Smithville School District – 07/20/22
Smithville School District – 05/17/23
Smithville School District – 06/12/24
Smithville School District – 05/21/25
Learn more about Smithville School District here.
2018 – 2020 Funding: $1,857,209
2020 – 2021 Funding: $2,670,900
2021 – 2022 Funding: $3,074,157
2022 – 2023 Funding: $3,694,243
2023 – 2024 Funding: $3,559,210
2024 – 2025 Funding: $3,478,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $3,552,500
The North Kansas City School District continues to expand their counseling and screening services for students, staff training and resources. Outcomes include a decrease in incidents of bullying and school suspensions, students participating in suicide prevention training and an increase in the number of students reaching their treatment goals in counseling.
In addition, the North Kansas School District is focusing on early intervention for kindergarten, first, and second grade students suffering from social maladjustment issues in order to correct the over identification of students labeled with emotional disturbance.
Presentations to the Board:
NKC Schools – 08/18/21 and Video of Music Therapy Impact
Learn more about North Kansas City School District here.
2018 – 2020 Funding: $50,000
2020 – 2021 Funding: $70,800
2021 – 2022 Funding: $35,265
2022 – 2023 Funding: $68,050
2023 – 2024 Funding: $66,590
2024 – 2025 Funding: $60,900
2025 – 2026 Funding: Services provided through Beacon Mental Health.
Program Summary: Missouri City School continues incorporating a program that includes mental health training and behavioral intervention training for teachers and staff and resources for students to access mental health services. Outcomes will include a decrease in incidents of bullying, an increase in behavioral intervention for students that struggle with disrupting the classroom, and an increase in students receiving mental health services.
Presentation to the Board:
Learn more about Missouri City School District here.
2018 – 2020 Funding: $900,000
2020 – 2021 Funding: $1,865,900
2021 – 2022 Funding: $1,818,682
2022 – 2023 Funding: $2,824,040
2023 – 2024 Funding: $2,908,643
2024 – 2025 Funding: $2,372,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $2,446,500
Program Description:
Liberty Public Schools (LPS) provides a wide range of services to protect the well-being of children and strengthen families. There are two primary service categories that LPS is able to provide with support from CCCSF:
1. Student and Family Services: LPS works closely with several local agencies to provide supplemental services to students and families, including:
a. Synergy Services provides a variety of services in-school:
–Therapists provide individual therapy to students
–Resiliency specialists work with elementary classrooms and with students in small groups and individually.
–Behavioral Support Implementers provide behavioral support to elementary students.
–Mental health screenings are provided to students as needed.
b. Saint Luke’s Crittenton Children’s Center provides in-home individual/family therapy and case management.
c. Saint Luke’s Crittenton Children’s Center’s TraumaSmart program provides behavioral consultation to elementary classrooms.
d. Dr. Joan Augustyn provides in-home wellness services to students and families.
e. Hope Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program provided to our secondary schools.
f. Beacon Mental Health, formerly Tri-County Mental Health (TCMH), partners with LPS to provide in-school individual therapy and mental health screenings and they accept psychiatric referrals.
2. Indirect Support: In addition to providing direct services to students and families, CSF also provides funding for a multitude of indirect services to support Social-Emotional Learning within the LPS community. Indirect supports include funding for:
a. Panorama SEL Surveys and Data Dashboard
b. Access to the Signs of Suicide training materials and portals
c. LiveSchool behavioral tracking system
d. Liberty Alliance for Youth (LAFY) club sponsorship
e. Brain State, Resilience, and Trauma-Informed professional development and supplies are provided in partnership with Saint Luke’s Crittenton Children’s Center’s TraumaSmart program, Conscious Discipline, and Sonya Richardson, LPC.
f. CSF has also made it possible for LPS staff to attend Social-Emotional Learning-focused conferences, including Restorative Practices, Trauma-Informed Care, and ongoing training for LPS mental health professionals.
Presentations to the Board:
Liberty Public Schools – 04/21/21
Liberty Public Schools – 05/18/22
Liberty Public Schools – 4/19/23
Liberty Public School – 04/17/24
Liberty Public School – 04/16/25
Learn more about Liberty Public schools here.
2018 – 2020 Funding: $288,075
2020 – 2021 Funding: $601,400
2021 – 2022 Funding: $642,416
2022 – 2023 Funding: $951,900
2023 – 2024 Funding: $1,009,945
2024 – 2025 Funding: $792,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $792,000
The Clay County Children’s Fund has transformed how the Kearney School District addresses the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of our students. Thanks to this generous support, we can provide not only individual therapy, but also a wide range of group therapy options. Expressive therapies such as art and music therapy have proven especially effective for many of our students, helping them connect with their emotions in unique and impactful ways. We are also able to provide specialized support for students facing behavioral challenges. Additionally, the funding sustains our Signs of Suicide program, which plays a crucial role in identifying students at risk and connecting them with the help they need.
Beyond therapy, the Clay County Children’s Fund has enabled us to offer programs and resources that would otherwise be out of reach. These include Character Education, professional development in social, emotional, and behavioral health for our staff, and the Panorama survey—a research-based tool that collects valuable feedback from students to help identify those struggling with emotional or behavioral challenges who might otherwise go unnoticed. This data allows us to intervene early and provide the right support.
The Clay County Children’s Fund has been an indispensable partner for the Kearney School District. With their support, we’ve been able to positively impact the lives of thousands of students over the years, helping to change the trajectory of their futures. We are deeply grateful for their commitment to our students’ well-being and success.
Presentations to the Board:
Kearney School District – 06/16/21
Kearney School District – 09/21/22
Kearney School District – 09/20/23
Kearney School District – 8/20/2025
Learn more about Kearney School District here.
2018 – 2020 Funding: $300,000
2020 – 2021 Funding: $582,945
2021 – 2022 Funding: $700,000
2022 – 2023 Funding: $975,000
2023 – 2024 Funding: $1,014,772
2024 – 2025 Funding: $634,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $634,000
Excelsior Springs School District implemented and expanded projects that include suicide awareness/prevention training for secondary school students, therapy, counseling, mental health screenings and case management. Additionally, behavior support and character education was provided in the elementary settings. Mental health support was introduced at the Early Childhood level along with research-based discipline and classroom management training. Outcomes will include a decrease in bullying incidents, an increase in the number of students receiving mental health services, and a decrease in discipline referrals.
Presentation to the Board:
Learn more about Excelsior Springs School District here.
Project Title: School-Based & Prevention Services
2019 – 2020 Funding: $1,079,608
2020 – 2021 Funding: $1,250,000
2021 – 2022 Funding: $1,695,000
2022 – 2023 Funding: $1,996,832
2023 – 2024 Funding: $2,185,713
2024 – 2025 Funding: $1,750,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $1,750,000
Project Summary: This project meets the Fund’s priorities in at least three ways. First, the project provides “Prevention programs which promote healthy lifestyles among children and youth and strengthen families” through education, skill building, social media and marketing across the Clay County community including school-based services. The project provides individual, group, family, music, art therapy, recreation therapy, and other resilience-based interventions. The project is flexible with meeting the individual needs of our youth with many evidence-based treatment models and are able to meet our youth in their homes, schools and community.
Project Title: Youth Crisis
2019 – 2020 Funding: $784,910
2020 – 2021 Funding: $900,000
2021 – 2022 Funding: $900,000
2022 – 2023 Funding: $1,117,376
2023 – 2024 Funding: $1,157,695
2024 – 2025 Funding: $450,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $350,000
Project Summary: This project provides an opportunity to develop a youth-focused crisis intervention team to help Clay County youth. These youth need immediate attention to deal with severe mental health needs. The services will help those youth access crisis intervention services quickly and efficiently through evidence-based services, such as play therapy, and individual supports in the community. Through effective and early intervention, the goal is to keep youth in their homes and community, improving safety and getting through the crisis before their needs escalate to needing out-of-home services such as in-patient or residential services.
Please watch these videos to see TCMH’s impact on Clay County children and their families:
TCMH Prevention Presentation – 8/16/23
Beacon Presentation – 12/13/23
Learn more about Beacon Mental Health here.
Project Title: Childhood Mental Health
2019 – 2020 Funding: $308,460
2020 – 2021 Funding: $882,455
2021 – 2022 Funding: $1,024,869
2022 – 2023 Funding: $1,524,946
2023 – 2024 Funding: $1,000,000
2024 – 2025 Funding: $915,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $915,000
Project Summary: TFC’s Childhood Mental Health project will serve Clay County’s youngest and most vulnerable children by providing mental health intervention programming to children birth-to-five years old. Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Programming: Focusing on the promotion of healthy functioning, ECMH staff work individually with children and their caregivers to provide mental health intervention services, address problem behaviors and prevent preschool expulsion. Programming will impact Clay County children and families through mental health consultation, teacher training, facilitated playgroups and Conscious Discipline parenting classes on-site at three community childcare centers and across three Clay County School District sites. Additionally, Play based therapy will be provided by licensed therapists. Sessions are provided on site at the child’s school. Therapy is provided at one community based site and three Clay County School Districts.
Presentations to the Board:
The Family Conservancy – 3/19/25
Learn more about The Family Conservancy here.
Project Title: Safe and Resilient Children’s Program
2019 – 2020 Funding: $354,000
2020 – 2021 Funding: $431,726
2021 – 2022 Funding: $782,446
2022 – 2023 Funding: $1,234,748
2023 – 2024 Funding: $952,310
2024 – 2025 Funding: $1,000,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $1,000,000
Project Summary: Synergy’s Safe and Resilient Children’s Program (SCRP) consists of several areas of service for children impacted family violence, child abuse/neglect and family disruption. (1) Emergency shelter and counseling services at the agency’s Children Center and Domestic Violence Center ensure immediate safety, attachment interventions and treatment. (2) The Domestic Violence Housing Program provides rent, utilities, apartment furnishings, case management, and supportive services for victims of domestic violence and their families for a period of approximately 2 years. CSF funding also supports housing staff. (3) Synergy’s Children’s Advocacy Center provides forensic interviewing, advanced resource navigation, advocacy, and mental health counseling services to children who have disclosed that they are victims of child abuse, have witnessed violence, or who are in the foster care system in Clay County. (4) With a trauma-informed care approach, Synergy helps children and their families through the crisis of homelessness and the associated behavioral and mental health related issues.
Presentations to the Board:
Synergy Presentation – 07/19/23
Synergy Presentation – 09/18/24
Synergy Presentation – 12/10/25
Learn more about Synergy Services here.
Project Title: Equine Assisted Activities & Therapies for Children and Teens with Special Needs
2019 – 2020 Funding: $32,525
2020 – 2021 Funding: $51,898
2021 – 2022 Funding: $67,345
2022 – 2023 Funding: $106,723
2023 – 2024 Funding: $131,400
2024 – 2025 Funding: $129,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $129,000
Project Summary: Northland Therapeutic Riding Center (NTRC), a PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Center, empowers children and teens with special needs in Clay County through Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT), as well as educational and social opportunities that strengthen families and foster inclusion.
Equine therapy is a powerful but resource-intensive program. It requires certified instructors, the year-round care and training of 12–15 therapy horses, skilled staff to oversee programs and volunteers, and the upkeep of our 32-acre facility. Your support ensures these critical resources remain available for the children and families who rely on them.
The results are life-changing. Working with horses helps participants build confidence, emotional regulation, empathy, problem-solving, and communication skills. Families often share how these improvements carry into daily life—children show greater independence at home, stronger participation in school, healthier peer relationships, and a new ability to navigate challenges with resilience. The physical benefits are equally impactful, with participants gaining balance, strength, flexibility, and fine motor skills.
The skills they develop at NTRC don’t end in the arena—they ripple into classrooms, homes, and communities, creating brighter futures.
Presentations to the Board:
Click here https://youtu.be/9wiN6zkwSaE to watch a video showing the impact that NTRC and its services has had on one of our families.
Learn more about Northland Therapeutic Riding Center here.
Project Title: Sexual Violence Counseling for Children in Clay County
2021 – 2022 Funding: $60,062
2022 – 2023 Funding: $78,209
2023 – 2024 Funding: $87,603
2024 – 2025 Funding: $53,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $53,000
Project Summary: MOCSA is the only rape crisis center for the Kansas City region, and the only organization serving Clay County that specializes in recovery from sexual violence. For this project, MOCSA operates a Clay County Outreach Site in a centrally located facility, as part of Synergy’s new Child Advocacy Center. This allows us to expand counseling services and make healing more accessible for Clay County children impacted by sexual violence.
Presentations to the Board:
Learn more about MOCSA here.
Project Title: Excelsior Springs Hospital’s Psychiatric Services Supports Youth & Family Wellness
2022 – 2023 Funding: $461,260
2023 – 2024 Funding: $1,443,444
2024 – 2025 Funding: $1,550,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $1,550,000
Project Summary: Excelsior Springs Hospital has expanded outpatient psychiatric services to provide timely, specialized mental health care for children and families in Clay County. With support from the Children’s Services Fund, we are addressing the shortage of pediatric mental health resources through qualified practitioners and wraparound, family-centered care. Our goal is to reduce stigma, strengthen families, and build a healthier, more resilient community.
Presentations to the Board:
Learn more about Excelsior Springs Hospital here.
Project Title: Nurturing Parenting Home Visitation for Families & Children 3 – 19 Years Old
2019 – 2020 Funding: $33,634
2020 – 2021 Funding: $40,000
2021 – 2022 Funding: $78,814
2022 – 2023 Funding: $179,644
2023 – 2024 Funding: $250,000
2024 – 2025 Funding: $168,000
2025 – 2026 Funding: $168,000
Project Summary: The Nurturing Parenting Programs are family-centered, trauma-informed initiatives based on over 35 years of research, validation and evidence and are designed to build nurturing parenting skills and child-rearing practices. Easterseals Midwest Home Visiting Services parent educators provide 10 free sessions to Clay County families sharing positive parenting techniques to help cope with the stress of being a parent and promote children’s brain development.
Presentations to the Board:
Learn more about Easterseals Midwest here.