The Children's Room - Caring support for grieving children teens & families

09/10/2026

Why do we walk? For Chris Watson, the answer is personal.

In the latest 30 Years, 30 Stories, Chris reflects on what The Children’s Room has meant to him and why showing up for this community continues to matter.

On September 27, we’ll come together in Arlington for The Children’s Room Community Walk. Whether TCR has been part of your life for years or you’re just getting to know us, we hope you’ll join us.
📍 Arlington, MA
📅 Sunday, September 27
👟 Three-mile Community Walk

Register at childrensroom.org/walk.

09/09/2026

In 2012, seven-year-old Mairead was asked what she liked about coming to The Children’s Room.
Part of her answer was simple: it was a place where she could remember.

Fourteen years later, we came back to that video as part of 30 Years, 30 Stories and found something that still feels true about why spaces like TCR matter for children who are grieving.

Watch Mairead’s story and read the latest from 30 Years, 30 Stories:
https://childrensroomorg.substack.com/p/a-place-where-i-can-remember-things

A glimpse at what has changed at The Children’s Room, and what has stayed at the heart of our work

09/04/2026

We have some new faces at TCR! 💙

We welcomed our newest class of undergraduate and graduate interns, who will spend the year learning and working alongside our Program team as they support children, teens, and their parents and caregivers who are grieving.

We’re so glad you’re here. Welcome to The Children’s Room!

09/03/2026

Grief support isn't one-size-fits-all.

When The Children's Room launched its first Spanish-speaking school-based grief group at Charlestown High School, we learned alongside the students about the role language and culture can play in how grief is understood and expressed.

Even words like duelo and luto opened conversations about how students name and make sense of their experiences. And as trust grew, so did connection, humor, and the freedom to talk about someone who had died in ways that felt natural to them.

It's one example of why expanding access to grief support isn't only about bringing programs into more communities. It's also about listening to what those communities need from us.

Read “Creating Safe Spaces for Latino Students to Grieve” -->
https://childrensroom.org/creating-safe-spaces-for-latino-students-to-grieve-lessons-from-the-spanish-speaking-grief-group/

Creating Safe Spaces for Latino Students to Grieve: Lessons from the Spanish-Speaking Grief Group For many children and teens, especially in communities where grief is often kept private, going to school can mean carrying an invisible weight. Without spaces to talk about loss, students may feel

08/31/2026

Back to school doesn’t mean back to normal.

A new school year brings a lot of language about fresh starts: new teachers, new classrooms, new routines.

But for a child or teen whose parent or sibling has died, grief doesn’t reset with the school calendar.

What can change is the support surrounding them.

When educators understand how grief can affect children and teens, schools can become places where students feel seen, understood, and supported as they navigate both grief and growing up.

The Children’s Room partners with schools and communities across Massachusetts to help make that possible. Our school-based grief support groups and consultations are offered at no cost to schools or students.

If you’re an educator or school professional interested in bringing more grief-informed support to your school community, let’s start a conversation.

Learn more at childrensroom.org, email [email protected], or call 781-641-4741.

08/27/2026

What can grief support in a school actually look like?

At Fenway High School, it didn't begin with a peer support group.

It began with professional development. From there came orientation, a school-wide grief awareness event, and eventually a school-based peer support group serving nine students who had never received grief-specific support before.

There isn't one way for a school to begin this work. Sometimes the first step is simply starting the conversation.

If you're an educator or school professional thinking about grief support in your own community, this is one example of what that pathway can look like.

See Fenway High School's Pathway to Partnership --> https://childrensroom.org/pathway-to-partnership-bringing-grief-support-to-fenway-high-school/

08/24/2026

Every classroom has stories you can’t see.

A student who is grieving may walk into class carrying an experience their teachers and classmates know little about.

And grief doesn’t always look like sadness. It can show up differently from student to student and from one day to the next.

That’s why creating grief-informed school communities matters.

The Children’s Room works alongside educators and school professionals to strengthen their ability to understand and support children and teens who are grieving through training, consultation, and school-based peer support.

Our school-based grief support groups and consultations are offered at no cost to schools or students.

You don’t need to have all the answers to make a difference. If your school is thinking about how to better support students who are grieving, we’d love to talk.

Learn more at childrensroom.org, email [email protected], or call 781-641-4741.

08/20/2026

What does it feel like to be grieving in a classroom where no one else seems to understand?

For one of our school partners, that question gets at why grief support in schools matters.

In this reflection, Gina shares what she has seen happen when students who are grieving realize they aren't the only ones carrying something into the classroom.

Sometimes support begins simply by knowing someone else gets it.

Read “The Loneliest Feeling in a Classroom” on our Substack --> https://childrensroomorg.substack.com/p/the-loneliest-feeling-in-a-classroom?r=804a1o&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

On grief, school, and the quiet ways students show up for one another.

08/20/2026

Eight runners. Seven miles. More than $25,000 raised for children, teens, and families who are grieving. 💙

Last weekend, Team TCR took on the 54th running of the ASICS Falmouth Road Race, and we couldn't be more grateful. The race took place Sunday, August 16, along Falmouth's iconic seven-mile course.

A huge congratulations and thank you to Fraser Collin, James Collin, Jen Noonan, Melissa Noonan, Charlie O'Connor, Ellen O'Connor, Joe O'Connor, and Fisher Williams, who ran for The Children's Room and together raised more than $25,000 to help make grief support available to children, teens, and families.

And to every friend, family member, colleague, and supporter who donated to one of our runners: thank you. Every mile they ran and every gift you made helps TCR continue offering caring grief support to families in our community.

We’re also incredibly grateful to Andrea Norris, Megan Faulkner, Dave McGillivray, and the entire ASICS Falmouth Road Race team for making opportunities like this possible through the Numbers for Nonprofits program, and for all the work that goes into bringing runners, nonprofits, and supporters together around causes they care about.

Congratulations, Team TCR. And thank you to everyone who helped carry us across the finish line! 💙

08/18/2026

There are things you might not notice when you first walk into The Children’s Room.

A child’s drawing left on the wall. A well-used piece of furniture. A room where it’s okay to make noise. Another where you can sit quietly.

This week, we invited a group of Tufts University students to look closely at our house and asked them what they noticed about the way a space can support children and families who are grieving.

One student told us:
“Everything, and everyone, has a place here.”

Their reflections made us look at a place we see every day with fresh eyes. 💛

Our newest 30 Years, 30 Stories piece, “Children Notice Spaces Before They Trust People,” is out now.
Read the story → https://childrensroomorg.substack.com/p/children-notice-spaces-before-they?r=804a1o&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

What a new generation of students noticed when we asked them to look closely at the spaces inside The Children’s Room.