From Firefighting to Fire Prevention
Over the past decade, our communites have been fighting the fires that threaten to destroy “children at risk”– children who are bullied, self-harming, suffering from eating disorders, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts, going off the derech, struggling with mental illness, and being abused. The problem with fighting fires after they have erupted is that it is ineffective, expensive and results in significant damage to that which is most precious to us- our holy children and talmidim. The addition of single-focused curriculum models is a good first step but it is not nearly enough. Something has to change. We need to put as much thought and effort into preventing fires as we do into containing and fighting them.
