OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Thousands of youth in our community have accessed resources at Completely KIDS and the non-profit is working to expand its campus even more. The northwest corner of 24th and St Mary's Avenue is the future home of the Henry Davis Center.
- The new center will have early education classrooms and spaces for individual and group mental health services.
- Omaha City Council approved planning documents for this project on Tuesday.
- Completely KIDS says they are still in the early stages of design and are working with key donors for investment in the project.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"It'll really be a campus approach to serving our kids and families," said Lacey Locklear, chief development officer at Completely KIDS.
The new center will have early education classrooms and spaces for individual and group mental health services.
"After COVID, we saw an increased need for our kids, our parents, and families, as a whole unit, to receive free access to mental health services," Locklear said.
Completely KIDS says during the 2023-2024 school year, they served nearly 3,000 kids. During that same time, 1,154 KIDS and adults were served in their mental health program. Both increases from the year prior.
"Right now, a lot of spaces are being used at Completely Kids. You are using offices of other people when they are not here. You are trying to, you know, really schedule out time in the therapy room, and often times, with mental health, you need it when you need it, not at a designated time," Locklear said.
The classrooms will allow families to get their children into an education setting before kindergarten.
"A lot of our families don't have access to that, and so they are seeing their first classroom setting at the age of 5 or 6, which, by then, can often times put a child behind. So, access to those classrooms, access to that structure, and really getting them on the right pathway in school is really really important," Locklear said.
Omaha City Council approved planning documents for this project on Tuesday.
Completely KIDS says they are still in the early stages of design and are working with key donors for investment in the project.
