Governor Mikie Sherrill
WHO WE ARE
Program Structure and Service Delivery

NJ4S is administered through a partnership between the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and the New Jersey Department of Education. 

Services are delivered through a network of regional providers, operated by contracted partner agencies that specialize in youth mental health service delivery or community-based prevention services.   

Each regional provider is supported by an Advisory Group of local leaders, educators, parents and students, to ensure that they’re connected to, and serving the needs of, the communities they represent. 

REGIONAL PROVIDERS & SERVICE LOCATIONS >

Statewide Partners

New Jersey Department of Children and Families (NJ DCF) Logo

The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (NJ DCF) is the first cabinet-level organization devoted exclusively to serving the needs of children, youth, and their families in the State of New Jersey.   

NJ DCF acts as New Jersey’s child protective services agency; manages the behavioral healthcare system for children, youth, and young adults under the age of 21; supports young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families; oversees an array of community-based, family strengthening services; provides support and healing for the survivors of domestic and sexual violence; empowers women and girls as leaders, and more.   

To learn more about NJ DCF, visit https://www.nj.gov/dcf. 

New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) Logo

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) supports schools, educators, and districts to ensure all of New Jersey's 1.4 million students have equitable access to high-quality education and can achieve academic excellence. 

NJ DOE oversees professional accreditation and development standards for educators and school support staff; manages core curriculum requirements for New Jersey schools; offers services to support students’ mental, developmental and physical wellbeing and safety needs; and more.  The focal point for general support, oversight and routine communications between New Jersey’s local school districts and NJ DOE are the County Offices of Education, each led by an Executive County Superintendent. 

To learn more about NJ DOE, visit https://nj.gov/education/. 


Regional Providers


The NJ4S Regional Providers offer statewide reach, community focus, and collaborative approaches to the schools they support, from organizations that have a proven track record in the counties to which they’re assigned.  Each provider employees an Executive Director, Support Staff, Prevention Specialists, and Mental Health Clinicians to serve the needs of schools, students and families throughout the State of New Jersey. 

Learn about the individual providers below:

Acenda Integrated Health is a behavioral healthcare organization providing world-class prevention, treatment and wellness services throughout New Jersey. Through more than 100 programs, including counseling and wellness services, maternal health programs, substance use treatment, crisis support and community-based programs, Acenda supports individuals and families at every stage of life, helping communities thrive and achieve their greatest potential. 

Children's Aid and Family Services is one of northern New Jersey's leading nonprofit providers that empowers individuals, strengthens families, and support healthier schools and communities.

  • NJ4S DIRECTOR: Shavonda Sumter 

Legacy Treatment Services is a leading provider of behavioral health and social services, dedicated to strengthening children, families, and communities throughout New Jersey. 

  • NJ4S DIRECTOR: Stefanie Richardson, LCSW

Center for Family Services is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening individuals, families, and communities through comprehensive behavioral health, social, and community-based services.  

Family Connections is the managing agency for the Essex County region for the New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S). NJ4S-Essex services are all about strengthening the social, emotional, and mental health of local students, their parents, and their educators. 

Acenda Integrated Health is a behavioral healthcare organization providing world-class prevention, treatment and wellness services throughout New Jersey. Through more than 100 programs, including counseling and wellness services, maternal health programs, substance use treatment, crisis support and community-based programs, Acenda supports individuals and families at every stage of life, helping communities thrive and achieve their greatest potential. 

NJ4S in Hudson County is managed by Partners in Prevention, a community-based organization dedicated to strengthening youth, families, and communities through prevention, education, and evidence-based supportive services. 

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton is the managing agency for NJ4S Mercer County, providing prevention, early intervention, and wellness supports to students, families, and school communities throughout Mercer County. NJ4S Mercer partners with schools and community organizations to strengthen student well-being and connect youth and families with responsive, evidence-informed supports. 

Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC), part of Rutgers Health, serves as the NJ4S provider for Middlesex County, supporting the mental health and wellness needs of youth, families, schools, and communities. 

  

Preferred Behavioral Health Group (PBHG), an affiliate of Oaks Integrated Care, is a nonprofit, community-based organization that has provided individualized mental health, addiction recovery, and wellness services throughout New Jersey for nearly 50 years, guided by its mission to change lives and save lives. 

 

The Mental Health Association (MHA) is a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services for individuals of all ages—children, adolescents, adults, seniors—and their families across Northern New Jersey. Established in 1950 as the Mental Health Association of Essex County in Newark, NJ, MHA has since expanded its reach, now serving communities in Essex, Morris, Sussex, Passaic, Hudson and Middlesex counties. 

  

Preferred Behavioral Health Group (PBHG), an affiliate of Oaks Integrated Care, is a nonprofit, community-based organization that has provided individualized mental health, addiction recovery, and wellness services throughout New Jersey for nearly 50 years, guided by its mission to change lives and save lives. 

 

The Passaic County NJ4S Program is managed by The New Jersey Community Development Corporation, a non-profit community development corporation based in Paterson, dedicated to creating initiatives that transform lives—including housing, education, youth development, and community improvement. 

  

Center for Family Services is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening individuals, families, and communities through comprehensive behavioral health, social, and community-based services. 

  

Prevention Links has been serving communities for over 50 years through four core areas: community prevention, recovery support, family services, and school-based mental health. Our mission is to promote healthy, resilient communities through education, family strengthening, and addiction recovery support, guided by four core values: accessibility, compassion, community building, and lived experience.