The Center for Grieving Children (The Center) helps children grieving a death heal and grow through their grief while strengthening families, communities, and professionals' understanding of how best to respond to their needs. To fulfill this mission The Center provides free peer support groups for children ages 5-23 who have experienced the death of a close loved one. Since its inception, The Center has supported thousands of grieving youth and families and has trained thousands of frontline professionals and community partners.

The Center envisions a Philadelphia where no child has to grieve alone. The Center is the only organization in Philadelphia dedicated exclusively to supporting families after a death; and as such it is proactively destigmatizing grief while decreasing the socioeconomic barriers that prevent individuals from accessing grief support. The Center fosters healthy grieving in 4 primary ways:

1. Center-Based Groups

• Offer free peer support groups for youth ages 5-25 who have experienced a death, and provide caregiver groups to support adults raising a grieving child
• Four locations across Philadelphia: East Falls (Main Office), West Philadelphia (CHOP Karabots Pediatric Care Center), the Lower Northeast (Calvary Christian Church), and South Philadelphia (CHOP Primary Care Center)

2. Community-Based Groups

• Partner with schools across Philadelphia to provide free 8-week support groups for grieving students during the school day
• Educate school staff and caregivers on healthy grieving and how to support grieving children

3. Training and Professional Development

• Prepare front-line professionals to manage crises that emerge among the children they serve by providing phone support, one-time workshops, and ongoing training.

4. Post-Crisis Interventions

• Support school staff and students after a death in the community through in-person and phone support.