NJ4S Bergen Hub Brings Free Services to Bergen County Students and Families for Back to School

Fair Lawn, NJ – The Bergen County New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) Hub is excited to offer free services for students in grades Pre-K to 12. Funded by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, NJ4S provides a wide range of wellness supports—including community education and brief counseling—to help students, families, and schools thrive.

“Following a successful summer of providing support for Bergen County students and their families, NJ4S is entering this back-to-school season equipped with the tools necessary to improve the mental wellness of our young people,” said Shavonda Sumter, President and CEO, Children’s Aid and Family Services. “From community education to clinical intervention with referrals to community-based supports, NJ4S Bergen is ready to work with Bergen County schools to serve our students.”

80 Bergen County schools are currently registered with NJ4S Bergen Hub ahead of the 2025-26 School Year. Registration allows schools to request brief counseling and prevention programming with NJ4S Bergen Hub’s trained expert staff, Prevention Consultants and Licensed Clinicians, who work alongside school staff to address key issues, such as absenteeism and bullying.

“NJ4S Bergen Hub is ready for the new school year of student engagement through Bergen County schools,” said Bryan Connelly, Director, NJ4S Bergen Hub. “While this is an exciting time for our students and their families, it can also be one of heightened uncertainty and anxiety, especially for students recently entering middle and high school. NJ4S is here to help school staff with managing overall wellness through our programming, ensuring both academic and personal success for Bergen County’s youngest residents.”

Community Education

NJ4S Bergen Hub Prevention Consultants and Clinicians often team up to host events for students and their families. Ahead of the school year, the Hub held a “Preparing Your Kids for Back to School” event at the Meadowlands Family Success Center where parents learned practical ways to engage their children to ensure a smooth transition from summer to the new school year.

Essential to the success of NJ4S are the connections to and collaborations with community partners. For example, NJ4S works closely with Bergen County Cooperative Library System and nonprofit organizations, such as Bergen County Court Approved Special Advocates for Children (CASA), the Boys and Girls Club of Garfield, Bounce Out the Stigma, Give Chances, Meadowlands YMCA and Meadowlands Family Success Center. Programs and events include workshops, webinars, assemblies, and training for students in grades Pre-K-12, families and school staff on a variety of topics including building relationships, making healthy choices, coping with stress and anxiety, and preparing for high school.

NJ4S Bergen Hub has served more than 12,000 Bergen County residents through 980 community education programs since the program’s creation in 2023.

Brief Counseling and Prevention

Since the start of the 2025-26 school year, over 30 schools submitted applications for targeted prevention and clinical consultation services including programs that address student mental health, bullying, vaping, and suicide prevention for teachers, school staff and students.

Schools can request free brief counseling and prevention services for students in grades 6-12. These services are provided by Prevention Consultants and Clinicians through in-person or virtual sessions and may include consultation, brief counseling, wellness programs and connections to community-based services for further support. Registered schools can request these services through their NJ4S Bergen Hub representative. There is currently no waitlist for clinical intervention services. Students are connected with an NJ4S Bergen Hub licensed clinician who will provide support and guidance throughout the process beginning at the application stage. Parents seeking clinical intervention support for their child can reach out to the child’s school to apply for services.

To learn more about NJ4S Bergen Hub’s free prevention and clinical intervention services, contact info@nj4sbergen.org.

“NJ4S’s commitment to empowering young people and supporting schools is evident in everything they do,” says Joe Traina, Student Assistance Counselor, Paramus High School. “We are deeply grateful for their partnership and look forward to continuing this meaningful work together.”

Students in grades 6-12 are also encouraged to join the NJ4S Bergen Hub Youth Advisory Board, where they represent their peers and work with the NJ4S Bergen Hub coalition to shape programming to meet the needs of students.

For more information about NJ4S Bergen Hub, visit https://www.nj4sbergenhub.org/.

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About New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S)

The New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) is a New Jersey Department of Children and Families program providing a statewide, innovative hub-and-spoke model of services and resources to support youth mental wellness. 15 regional hubs provide prevention and brief intervention services to New Jersey public school students, parents/caretakers, and school faculty. To learn more about NJ4S, visit https://nj4s.nj.gov/s/. The Bergen Hub is led by Children’s Aid and Family Services and operated by a coalition of trusted providers, including CarePlus NJ, CBH Care, Vantage Health System, and West Bergen Mental Healthcare.

About Children’s Aid and Family Services

Children’s Aid and Family Services is one of northern New Jersey’s leading nonprofit providers of services that protect and support vulnerable children, adults and families. The agency is focused on meeting ever-evolving social needs by expanding our programs to help members of the community live their best lives. To learn more about Children’s Aid and Family Services, visit https://cafsnj.org/.