History of Juntos

JUNTOS was established in 2012 to address the impact of trauma in Lennox schools through a collaboration between New Visions Foundation (now the Coalition for Engaged Education) and the Lennox School District. Today, JUNTOS is a project of Community Partners. As the fiscal agent, Community Partners provides the structure and a full range of administrative and financial services that allow JUNTOS to focus on our mission as we grow.

Seed funding from the Gary Saltz Foundation allowed JUNTOS to hire a team of clinicians to effectively provide coordinated mental health services and parenting classes to the Lennox community. In honor and recognition of the Latino-rich community, this project was christened with the Spanish word JUNTOS, which means a group of persons joined for a common purpose.  

In its first year of operation (2012-2013), JUNTOS set a goal of serving between 60 and 75 students. JUNTOS leadership decided to keep the number of clients limited to maintain a manageable therapist to client ratio and give clients a feeling of individual care and sense of family support. However, this project number was greatly exceeded by the end of year one. The needs of the community were profound. An evaluation team review of data collected revealed that a total of 297 students and families received a combination of individual and family mental health services (including crisis and group work) and parenting education.  

Since its inception, JUNTOS has brokered partnerships with the UCLA Department of Social Welfare, Leap and Associates, Echo Parenting & Education, EduCare, National Teen Leadership Program, A Window Between Worlds, EduCare Foundation, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, trauma-focused therapy specialists, and key members of the Lennox School District and community in its efforts to create a progressive and thoughtful model for treating and preventing trauma in the Lennox community. In 2016, JUNTOS’ work was recognized by Community Partners with the Albert R. Rodriguez Civic Legacy Honors award. Today, JUNTOS serves over 345 students and 125 families, providing a wide array of student wellness services, family services, and school staff services.