So many of us have struggled through these last few difficult years. Now just imagine what it’s been like for our kids. These mental health stressors have hit our Rhode Island children especially hard– collateral damage of the uncertainty and isolation of COVID-19.

One out of every 3 kids is facing a serious mental health challenge– and all too often, help is not available.

We cannot sit still or stay silent.

We must act now!

So this year we’re doubling down on our efforts to end the children’s mental health crisis in Rhode Island, and making it our number one priority. And we’re asking you to join us.

We plan to expand our Children’s Mobile Crisis program, which provides immediate assistance to kids where and when they need it– 24/7.

Beyond offering acute care from our outpatient clinic at 55 Hope Street, we are rapidly expanding our staff to meet the needs of communities, schools, and homes– eliminating the lack of transportation as a barrier to care. We are committed to ensuring each family is able to connect with the services they need to thrive.

FSRI will be here for RI kids this year and always– and we hope you will be here for us. Will you help us get the word out about the crisis? Will you reach out to your personal and professional network to support this work? Will you volunteer with us? Will you make a donation today?

We realize that money is tight right now for so many– but we are hoping that many can give a little so that all can benefit a lot. Will you donate $50, $100, $500, or $1,000 to help OUR kids?

Right now, you can help end this crisis by ensuring that children who are suffering receive the support they need.  #JoinFSRI

With love and kindness for all,

Margaret Holland McDuff

Early Intervention and First Connections programs are a core component of the state’s commitment to ensuring that families with infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities receive high-quality services as early as possible, so children can develop to their fullest potential.

But nonprofits that provide these mandated maternal and infant services face high staff turnover rates due to low wages– caused by a stagnant, 22-year-old state reimbursement rate— which is putting our most vulnerable children at risk of losing these services completely.

That’s why FSRI’s early childhood staff, including our CEO Margaret Holland McDuff, recently gave testimony in support of H-7628 to fund a stable system of care for Rhode Island children and families at the RI Statehouse.

Right now, there are only nine remaining EI service-providing agencies in Rhode Island, including FSRI. All have dealt with a workforce and financial crisis in recent years, which have now created a perfect storm of circumstances that is ultimately hurting at-risk children and families that need services most.

As a state, we have three choices:

• Force nonprofits to operate in the red to continue offering these critical, life-saving services, which at some point will cause a total system collapse.
• Close the early childhood programs altogether and be in violation of federal law.
• Have legislators increase their reimbursement rates now and into the future through H-7628.

Please call or email your legislator TODAY and make sure they know you support H-7628. You can find out who your representative is here.

Let’s put people first– because the future of young Rhode Islanders hangs in the balance.