As the youth mental health crisis continues unabated, New Jersey is contemplating modifications that could weaken or dismantle one of its most effective support programs: NJ4S, or New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services.
NJ4S provides statewide prevention, early intervention and treatment for students, including the most vulnerable, and uses a hub-and-spoke model to connect schools to mental health resources. NJ4S started three years ago in response to the significant rise in depression, anxiety and stress among New Jersey teenagers and young adults, which was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. NJ4S has served more than 700,000 individuals and received very high ratings from thousands of users.
Unfortunately, the program faces the threat of being greatly diluted as the state prepares its fiscal 2027 budget. NJ4S is a crucial support for thousands of students in New Jersey, and eliminating or reducing any of its funding would leave many youth across the state without the services they need and deserve.
Hundreds of principals, counselors, parents students and others have written their state elected representatives and Gov. Mikie Sherrill, expressing the program’s value.
One high school principal from Burlington County wrote the following:
“The Burlington County NJ4S cohort has become an indispensable pillar of our school community, providing specific, high-tier interventions that our traditional budget and staffing models simply cannot replicate.
“Losing the Burlington County NJ4S cohort would leave a massive void in our district. Without this partnership, our neediest students – those already facing the steepest uphill battles – will lose the very services that keep them safe, stable and ready to learn. We have seen firsthand the positive shift in our school culture and the individual lives saved by these services.”
A middle school principal was similarly effusive:
“As a school principal with over 26 years of experience in public education, I’ve worked with many programs intended to connect students with mental health services. NJ4S has been the most effective program I have seen in ensuring that students receive the support they need.
“One of the greatest strengths of NJ4S is its accessibility. The program removes two of the most common barriers to mental health care: insurance requirements and transportation. Because services are provided directly in schools, students who might otherwise go without support are able to receive timely help.
“Mental health support is not a luxury for schools — it is a necessity. Programs like NJ4S allow schools to intervene early, support students before situations escalate and help ensure that students are able to remain focused on learning and success in the classroom.”
The New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies and NJ4S providers agree that more clinical services are needed in some regions. Such expansion requires additional funding, not the elimination of parts of a successful program.
Enhancements to NJ4S or funding for a parallel program, such as that proposed by Sherrill, are both options. The evidence that NJ4S works, though, cannot be ignored. Of great importance is its accessibility, with services available statewide.
NJ4S’s success is clear from its strong community feedback, a recent Department of Children and Families report and the results of an April survey by the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association.
When we support NJ4S, we’re doing more than funding a program — we’re safeguarding futures.
To help students succeed academically, socially and emotionally, we must provide them with the tools and support they need to thrive and flourish. Critical decisions are currently being made that will influence the future of New Jersey’s children, schools and communities.
