School Programs and Support

n addition to regular weekly programming held at our local branches, Ele’s Place offers a variety of ways to engage with our local school districts in supporting grieving children throughout the state of Michigan.  Weekly in-school support groups; educational events for faculty, staff, and families; reference literature and professional guidance/referrals; and crisis support are available from our branches.  Contact your local Ele's Place for information on how we can support your school in the following ways:

School Staff Support

• Presentations for teachers, counselors and administrators are provided at school meetings, in-services and workshops. Presentations can be customized to the situational needs of staff.  (We recommend at least a half hour presentation.)
• Consultations regarding the needs of a grieving student, class, or school

Resource and Referral

• Guidance and written materials for parents and teachers working with a grieving child
• Professional referrals to social workers and psychologists in the community

Crisis Support

• Assist with initial crisis response in the school
• Support your staff in an ongoing crisis response
• Assist with parent meetings after a crisis
• "After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools."

"Ele's Group"

Because not every family can commit to programming in an Ele's Place facility each week, and because sometimes schools are affected more broadly across the student population by the death or illness of a fellow student or teacher, Ele’s Place works in partnership with school counselors to provide 8-week support groups in many area schools (as listed below).  For more information, please contact our Ele's Group coordinators listed here:

• Lansing area school counselors interested in partnering with Ele's Place in their school should contact Pat Gundrum at [email protected].
• Ann Arbor area school counselors interested in partnering with Ele's Place in their school should contact Katie Brickman at [email protected].
• Grand Rapids area schools interested in partnering with Ele's Place in their school should contact Julie DeJong at [email protected].
• Flint area schools interested in partnering with Ele's Place in their school should contact Tracy Payton-Lester at [email protected]. 

ELE'S GROUP PARTNERS (List updated as of XX/2018)

Lansing Area School and Offsite Partners

Note: These are the schools that we are actively working with to provide Ele's Group to their students.