“I would drop Jacob off at 8 o’clock in the morning, and at 8:15 or 8:30 almost every morning, I was getting a call that I needed to go back to the school. He was hearing and seeing things. His teachers weren’t understanding him, and I didn’t know what kind of help to get for my son,” said Chantell.

Chantell’s youngest clearly faced challenges, but his school had not placed him in a classroom with adequate support for children with special needs. “Having a child with disabilities is hard, especially a child with mental health issues. It’s heart-wrenching when you want to help them so badly but you don’t know how,” said Chantell. This uncertainty about how to address her son’s educational needs brought Chantell to Leake & Watts’s Preventive Services program, where the first step was to identify those needs. Jacob was soon diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and ADHD.

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Once Jacob was diagnosed properly, the Leake & Watts team created an individualized plan, and Jacob was placed in a school with the appropriate resources. “Chantell is so devoted to her children,” said Paul Martin, Preventive Services Director. “She was very open to working with our caseworker to learn how to better advocate for them. That has made all the difference for her family.”

With our help, Jacob was placed in a school with the appropriate resources to support a child with his mental health needs. “I am so grateful that Jacob is going to a good school now, where he is supported by people who understand him,” Chantell said. “Without the support of Leake & Watts, my baby would still be in school where he wasn’t getting any help, and I wouldn’t have the peace of mind that I have now knowing that he’s in a good place.”

Leake & Watts’ emphasis on securing high-quality educational services matched to the needs of the individual student makes a real difference for young people and families. “I’ve been blessed,” Chantell said. “They’ve taken a lot of weight off my shoulders. The love, understanding, and caring the staff give is a big deal. Jacob and my other children, none of us would be doing so well if it weren’t for Leake & Watts.”