Youth First provides over 30 school social workers throughout Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey, Gibson, and Pike Counties. Their Mission is to strengthen youth and families through evidence-based programs that prevent substance abuse, promote healthy behaviors, and maximize student success.

Evansville Day School is proud to collaborate with Youth First to provide individual and group counseling, referral services, and educational classroom presentations to our students.

Our Youth First social worker is Laura Arrick. She is in the building full-time and can be reached through the school by phone or e-mail.

Common reasons students get referred to the school social worker include social skills, depression, anxiety, anger management, divorce, behavior problems, grief/loss, and peer/relationship problems. Presentation topics vary according to what is needed but in the past have included: peer pressure, bullying, character education, and stress management.

For more information, visit the Youth First website at youthfirstinc.org

“One of the things I love most about Evansville Day School is their commitment to developing the whole child. They truly understand and respect the importance of social and emotional learning as a piece of their student’s growth. By having a licensed social worker on campus they value what I can bring to the table. I am able to provide that one on one individual counseling support, be an advocate for student’s needs, be a resource for parents as they cope with their child’s social and emotional growth, be an experienced professional for our teachers and staff, and work within the school community to promote social and emotional learning as a whole." - Laura Arrick, Youth First