Morristown-based Good Grief featured in national State of Grief Report

New Jersey Recognized as National Leader in Grief Education in 2025 State of Grief Report

New Jersey’s groundbreaking approach to grief education is gaining national recognition. The NJ Grief Collaborative is featured in the New York Life Foundation’s 2025 State of Grief Report, highlighting how policy, education and community partnerships can transform support for grieving students.

The report underscores a growing national shift: grief is being recognized not as a private experience to be managed alone, but as a reality that schools, communities and systems must be prepared to support. Lindsay Schambach of Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss and Evelynn Moon of Good Grief, members of the NJ Grief Collaborative, shared: “New Jersey’s grief education legislation reflects what bereavement organizations across the state have long known: proactive, meaningful education paired with early identification and connection to resources makes a significant difference for grieving students. Grounded in proven data and a systematic framework, this work demonstrates how policy, education, direct support services and awareness can work together to strengthen school-based grief support nationwide.”

Their perspective appears in the report’s section on grief in schools, which highlights both growing momentum and ongoing gaps in how students are supported after loss. With 1 in 11 children in the U.S. expected to experience the death of a parent or sibling before age 18, the need for grief-informed systems has never been clearer.

In 2024, New Jersey became the first state to require grief education for students in grades 8–12—an effort now being watched nationally as a model for systemic change. The NJ Grief Collaborative—a partnership among Good Grief, Imagine, Stephy's Place The Alcove and Common Ground—continues to advance this work by building awareness, training educators and strengthening connections between schools and grief support resources.

“This recognition affirms what we’ve been building together,” said Moon. “Grief is not rare, and it should not be invisible in our schools. When we name it, teach it and respond to it, we create environments where students can truly be supported.” The 2025 State of Grief Report explores how communities, schools and workplaces can build sustainable systems of care so no one has to navigate grief alone.

Read the full report: https://assets.newyorklife.com/is/content/nylAssetsProd/2025-State-of-Grief-Reportpdf?uuid=2fb01b99-ce63-4e74-a1e9-b94f2787f41a

About NJ Grief Collaborative
​The NJ Grief Collaborative is a partnership of New Jersey’s leading family bereavement centers, working together to support schools, educators, and communities as they navigate grief and loss. The collaborative brings together expertise from across the state to ensure that schools have access to trusted, developmentally appropriate, and grief-informed resources as they implement grief education and respond to loss. Coalition Members: The Alcove, Common Ground Grief Center, Good Grief, Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss, Stephy’s Place