Jennifer Theriault is eager for the school year to begin. Working as an early childhood social worker in Groton, she focuses on the mental health needs of the district’s youngest learners.
“Getting to them early while they are in that young age where they can have so much progress is ideal,” Theriault said. “Rather than focusing on mental health efforts later on in their lifespan.”
Theriault works with more than 200 preschool and kindergarten students in Groton. Her position is relatively new and was created after the district noticed an increased need for mental health support in that age group during the pandemic.
“Because they don’t have the base of skills that older students already worked on before the pandemic shut everything down. They are starting from scratch,” Theriault said.
Superintendent Susan Austin said that their data made it clear that they needed to focus more on preschool, pre-K and …