Uplift Center for Grieving Children (formerly The Center for Grieving Children) was founded in 1995 by the Bereavement Program at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and incorporated as an independent nonprofit in 2000. Our main office is located in East Falls. Uplift is supported through individual donations, public and private grants, government funding, and corporate sponsorships.
Building Access
We work to connect children and families to resources and information by making programs accessible to those who need them the most.
Uplifting Philly
We are serving the Greater Philadelphia area, which is experiencing alarming rates of trauma, violence, and grief.
Creating Community
Our peer to peer model allows participants to see themselves in each other and helps to empower those within the community we serve.
Uplift offers peer support groups for children and teens in grades K-12th who have experienced the death of someone significant in their lives. Peer support and a caring adult presence help to reduce the feelings of isolation and loneliness that children often experience after death.
Uplift has multiple locations around the city of Philadelphia. Creative activities and games allow children to express their thoughts and feelings about death. All groups are divided by age and developmental level to best tailor our support programs. Uplift also offers caregiver groups at the same time to provide support for adults raising a grieving child.
All programs for grieving children and families are provided free of charge.
For children and teens who are unable to travel to one of our Family Services sites, we offer free grief groups in schools throughout the city. Usually arranged by school counselors, these groups run for up to 8 weeks, meeting weekly, for 45-60 minutes in schools. Additionally, we offer organizations in the community similar groups.
Crisis Services are available to support students, staff, and the larger school community in the aftermath of a death.
Presentations and training are offered for professionals interested in learning about children and teens who are grieving. We can accommodate requests for onsite presentations, such as for staff in-services. We also offer programs with CEUs.