A $42,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County expands access to therapy for students.

(July 14, 2025) – With the support of a $42,000 grant from the Leslie and Margaret Weller Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Florida Center for Early Childhood is launching a new school-based mental health program at Innovation Academy SRQ, a public charter school serving students in grades VPK–5^th grade. The project will embed a part-time clinician on site three days a week, providing individualized therapy to identified students, while working closely with teachers, staff, and families to address students’ social and emotional needs.

“This grant allows us to meet children where they are—literally and emotionally,” says Dr. Kristie Skoglund, CEO. “By placing a therapist in the school setting, we’re removing barriers to care and offering students consistent support at the moments they need it most.”

For nearly a decade, The Florida Center has been a trusted provider of in-school mental health services in Sarasota and Manatee counties. While Sarasota County Schools recently ended a longstanding contract that placed full-time therapists in elementary classrooms, this new program at Innovation Academy offers a timely opportunity to continue delivering trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate care where it’s needed most—in school and during the day.

Innovation Academy SRQ (formerly the Suncoast School for Innovative Studies) offers a transformative learning environment where students are encouraged to think critically, create boldly, and grow with purpose. The school emphasizes emotional intelligence, resilience, and global awareness—recognizing each child’s unique strengths and engaging families as essential partners in the learning journey.

“Students at Innovation Academy SRQ bring a rich mix of backgrounds and experiences—and they deserve mental health care that meets them where they are,” says Melissa Bradley,Florida Center’s vice president of behavioral health services. “This program is about building resilience and fostering connection—so that every child has the tools to thrive.”

That message resonates deeply with school leadership.

“Our school is a place where students are encouraged to think boldly and feel deeply,” says Fayth Jenkins, head of school at Innovation Academy SRQ. “Having mental health support woven into our day affirms the International Baccalaureate belief in educating the whole child—nurturing students’ emotional, social, and academic growth to develop balanced, compassionate, and internationally minded learners. We’re deeply grateful to The Florida Center and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County for this meaningful partnership.”

The Florida Center brings more than 45 years of expertise to this work, including specialized training in early childhood mental health and a track record of successful school-based partnerships. Therapists use evidence-based approaches tailored to children’s developmental needs and provide coaching for teachers as well as outreach to parents.

 “Thanks to the Community Foundation’s generosity, students at Innovation Academy will receive timely, personalized care in a setting they know and trust,” says Dr. Skoglund. “The Community Foundation’s investment is part of the solution—making it possible to reach children early, when intervention can have the greatest impact.”

• A Florida Center therapist engages students, and a therapist and student in a playful moment that supports emotional regulation—part of the trauma-informed care the organization brings to schools across the region, including its newest program at Innovation Academy SRQ.
• A student at Innovation Academy SRQ shares a joyful moment with his stuffed animal. Thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Florida Center for Early Childhood now provides on-site mental health services to support students’ emotional wellbeing.
• Fayth Jenkins, head of school at Innovation Academy SRQ, says that having mental health support woven into the school day will nurture students’ emotional, social, and academic growth.e circle time activities that promote literacy, communication skills, and classroom connection.

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.