History

The NCSCB grew out of a program started in 1990 at Yale University by developmental-behavioral pediatrician David J. Schonfeld. With initial support from the September 11th Children’s Fund and the National Philanthropic Trust, the Center was officially established in 2005 to provide training, technical assistance and consultation for schools and communities preparing for, or recovering from, crises throughout the United States and abroad. Generous support from the New York Life Foundation, starting first in 2009, has permitted the NCSCB to continue its important work, add new programs and initiatives (e.g., the Coalition to Support Grieving Students), and to expand the breadth and reach of services provided. In 2015, the Center relocated to the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work in Los Angeles. In 2019, the Center moved to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

NCSCB’s experts have assisted hundreds of schools and communities in the U.S. and abroad cope in the aftermath of tragedy, playing a vital role in helping to foster resilience after crisis events, including: