Mentoring expert, Dr. Sam McQuillin, explains why school closings affect more than learning

Experts’ Corner: Mentoring in the era of COVID-19

From the ‘Mentoring in the era of COVID-19: Nine experts in the field weigh in’ article by Justin Preston and Monica Arkin

For Samuel McQuillin, Associate Professor and Director of the School Psychology Program at the University of South Carolina, the past year has pointed to the importance of schools for youth development and mental health care. “In addition to schools being some of the safest places for children to live, play, and learn, they are the primary means that we prepare our future society and they are the largest mental health provider for children.” He hopes that the past year of school disruptions will bring attention to the role schools play as the “primary child mental health care institution.”