For Parents Archives

Erika's Lighthouse and Grainger volunteers creating mental health tool kits.

Beyond Donations: Crafting Hope with Erika’s Lighthouse Good Mental Health Toolkits

For Parents, Family Engagement / 10/14/2025 10/14/2025

In a world hungry for connection and purpose, giving back offers an unparalleled sense of fulfillment. While financial contributions are always vital, there’s a deeply rewarding way to support Erika’s Lighthouse: by volunteering to create Good Mental Health Toolkits. This isn’t just about assembling materials; it’s about actively building the tools that empower schools, educate …

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Erika's Lighthouse Featured on NBC5 Chicago Podcast!

Reducing Mental Health Stigma for Students and Children | Mental Health Matter: A podcast with LeeAnn Trotter, Katie Conklin, and Candice Florance

For Parents, For Supporters, For Educators, Publications, Press / 10/09/2025 10/14/2025

Making mental health education a priority in schools isn’t just a good idea; it’s essential. This podcast episode focuses on the effectiveness of Erika’s Lighthouse programs: from classroom education to empowerment clubs, to how to have supportive conversations if you are concerned about a young person in your life.

Building a Foundation of Hope: How Schools Support Student Mental Health

For Parents, For Educators / 09/11/2025 10/03/2025

When a child struggles to read, we provide a reading specialist. When a student has a fever, we send them to the school nurse. We instinctively understand that for students to thrive academically, their other needs must be met. But what about their mental health? In the face of a youth mental health crisis, schools …

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Make-a-Will Month: A Legacy of Hope for Youth Mental Health

For Parents, For Supporters, For Donors / 08/05/2025 08/05/2025

August is Make-a-Will Month—a time dedicated to the powerful act of planning for the future. While it may not be a topic we discuss every day, creating a will is one of the most thoughtful and impactful things you can do for the people and causes you love. It’s an opportunity to protect your family …

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The Cost of Spring Break: Alcohol, Risky Behavior, and Traffic Safety Concerns for Students

For Parents, For Teens, For Teens, For Parents, For Students, Uncategorized / 02/27/2025 02/27/2025

The Cost of Spring Break: Alcohol, Risky Behavior, and Traffic Safety Concerns for Students By: Blossom Thao (Maine State Coordinator for SADD) Spring break is all about fun, freedom, and adventures for students, but it’s also a time when risky behavior spikes, especially when alcohol and driving mix. While it’s easy to get caught up in …

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2024 Annual Report Snapshot

For Parents, For Teens, For Teens, For Parents, For Students, Uncategorized / 07/01/2025 07/01/2025

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRETOR Dear Friends, At Erika’s Lighthouse, we believe every student should have the knowledge and tools they need to care for their mental health. This isn’t just a statement, we put it into action. We’re proud to provide our high-quality, comprehensive depression education and suicide prevention curriculum to schools across the country, …

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RESOURCE HIGHLIGHT: Shared Vocabulary

For Parents, For Educators / 07/27/2020 07/19/2024

At Erika’s Lighthouse, we understand that discussing depression can be a challenging topic. As an educator or social worker, you are considered a trusted adult to the students who come to you. And while we realize this isn’t always part of your typical lesson plan, we know teaching good mental health is also a valuable …

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A Family Workbook Series on Childhood Mental Health and Adolescent Depression

For Parents / 10/12/2020 07/17/2024

Somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of children and teens will suffer from at least one depressive episode before they reach adulthood. These episodes come in many forms—ranging from the child who doesn’t want to go to school to the teen who is constantly in a rage to the withdrawn child who barely speaks. …

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School Refusal: When Your Child Doesn’t Want to Go to School Due to Depression

For Parents, For Educators / 06/24/2024 07/17/2024

Access Programs It is not uncommon for a child or teen with depression to avoid or refuse to go to school. Inability or reluctance to wake up and get dressed in the morning, frequent visits to the school nurse, skipping class, or frequent complaints of physical pain and sickness such as headaches, …

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