PSD Early Childhood Mental Health Referrals Jump to 119, August Numbers Double
Poudre School District's early childhood program is experiencing a significant surge in mental health referrals among very young students, with cases jumping from 90 to 119 during the 2024-25 school year and early fall numbers nearly doubling compared to the same period last year.
The concerning trend affects children ages 0-5 in the district's Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which serve approximately 1,000 students annually across 20 elementary schools. Director of Early Childhood Rebecca Benedict reported the escalating numbers to the Board of Education September 23, describing the increase as part of a broader post-COVID pattern affecting the youngest learners.
"Another trend we have noticed post COVID is an increase in early childhood mental health referrals," Benedict told board members. "Our August and September numbers nearly doubled from last year to this year in terms of the number of families seeking support in the area of mental health referrals."
The district employs two mental health specialists—one serving Early Head Start students ages 0-3 and another supporting preschool-age children—who work directly with families while they navigate waiting periods for outside community services. These specialists often serve as "gap fillers" while families await appointments with external mental health providers, Benedict explained.
Statewide Context Shows Broader Crisis
The local increase aligns with sobering statewide statistics on children's mental health. Colorado's Children's Hospital experienced a 22% increase in children entering emergency rooms for mental health support this past summer, according to Superintendent Brian Kingsley's remarks to the board.
While Larimer County continues to trend in a positive direction with reducing suicide rates as a community, emergency room visits for adolescent mental health care have increased significantly across the state, prompting concerns about available resources for young people.
Both Larimer and Weld Counties are classified as Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas for children, with ratios that can exceed 1:2,000 for licensed child mental health professionals, according to Colorado's Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative data. This ratio falls well above the optimal benchmark of fewer than 1:500 children per provider.
District Expands Support Services
Poudre School District's early childhood mental health specialists provide both emergency and ongoing support, depending on family needs. The program's approach includes partnering with school resources and outside community providers to create comprehensive support networks for families.
"Oftentimes our mental health providers... are helping them organize and get resources that they need. Sometimes it's an emergency basis, other times it's a maintenance basis," Benedict said during her annual report presentation.
The district's early childhood program also connects families to broader community resources through 2,821 referrals made last year, with housing services and mental health support representing the top referral categories. This comprehensive approach reflects federal Head Start requirements that programs address whole-family needs beyond educational services.
The adolescent care unit at the Longview campus recently opened in partnership with Larimer County, providing 24-7 mental health care specifically for adolescents—filling a critical gap in regional services for young people in crisis.
Resource Constraints and Funding Challenges
The mental health specialist team, despite handling the increased caseload, operates with limited staffing. District health services are managed by one full-time person and one 80% position, who together logged 3,467 recorded contacts with families during the past school year tracking various health needs including mental health referrals.
Many mental health supports and services for children are grant-funded, with several programs experiencing funding reductions or elimination, according to Kingsley. These funding challenges occur as demand for services continues climbing across Northern Colorado.
Early childhood educators in Colorado receive required annual training in social-emotional development and challenging behavior response, as outlined by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. Programs like Pyramid PLUS offer specialized training for teachers to identify and respond to early social-emotional health needs in young children.
The district encourages community members to remain vigilant about checking in with children and young adults, emphasizing that supporting youth mental health extends beyond schools to include parents, neighbors, and community members throughout Northern Colorado.
"We need to continue to be hyper vigilant about checking in on our children and our young adults," Kingsley told the board. "That's not just the job of our teachers and our counselors and our principals. That's every member of this community a role and responsibility to continue to look out for each other."