Expanding Access to Children’s Mental Health Services

The $12,000 grant will support outpatient mental health services for children from birth through fifth grade experiencing emotional, behavioral, developmental and trauma-related challenges.

(October, 2026) – For families seeking mental health care for a young child, cost and insurance coverage can become barriers to getting the help they need. A $12,000 grant from the Wilson-Wood Foundation will help The Florida Center for Early Childhood provide outpatient mental health services to children from birth through fifth grade, regardless of their families’ ability to pay.

The grant supports The Florida Center’s Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Outpatient Program, which serves children experiencing emotional, behavioral, developmental and trauma-related challenges. Clinicians work with children and their caregivers to strengthen emotional regulation and healthy coping skills, improve behavior at home and school, help caregivers better understand their children’s mental health needs and responses to trauma, and build stronger caregiver-child relationships.

More than 85% of families served by the program are ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) or live at or below the poverty level. Many are uninsured, underinsured or Medicaid-eligible and cannot afford to pay for services out of pocket. Insurance reimbursement also may not cover the full range of care a child needs, including caregiver consultation and collaboration with schools.

Research on adverse childhood experiences has shown that experiences during a child’s formative years can have lasting effects on physical and mental health. Addressing emotional, behavioral and trauma-related challenges early can help prevent secondary problems such as poor school performance and low self-esteem and reduce the risk of more serious mental health concerns later in life.

 “Wilson-Wood Foundation’s longstanding support allows us to reach children at a time when intervention can make an extraordinary difference,” says Melissa Robinson, M.A., LMHC, IMH-E, vice president of Behavioral Health Services. “When children learn to understand and manage their emotions—and caregivers learn how to support them—those skills can make a difference at home, at school and as children grow.”

The grant continues a trusted partnership between the Wilson-Wood Foundation and The Florida Center spanning more than two decades. Over the years, the foundation has supported programs serving children and families through developmental therapies, multigenerational mental health counseling, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) evaluation and prevention, and training for childcare providers.

Photo captions:

• Children at The Florida Center for Early Childhood benefit from outpatient mental health services designed to strengthen emotional regulation, behavioral functioning and healthy coping skills. A grant from the Wilson-Wood Foundation will help expand access to these services for children from birth through fifth grade.
• A child works with a clinician at The Florida Center for Early Childhood to identify and express emotions. Support from the Wilson-Wood Foundation helps reduce financial barriers to pediatric mental health care for families who are uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible or unable to afford services out of pocket.

About The Florida Center for Early Childhood

For more than 45 years, The Florida Center for Early Childhood has been the leading provider of therapeutic services, early education, and healthy development for young children in southwest Florida, offering a seamless delivery of services for the whole child and their family. Today, the agency is nationally recognized for its early childhood expertise in various specialties. The Florida Center provides developmental therapies, mental health counseling, Starfish Academy preschool, the Healthy Families home-visiting program, and the state’s only Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Clinic, with locations in Sarasota, Orlando and Pensacola.