John's Safe Place reaches Fairview's youngest learners at the EEC

A new space at Parkview Early Education Center is giving Fairview Park’s youngest learners a quiet place to pause, process their emotions, and begin learning self-regulation skills.

The new John’s Safe Place at the EEC, created through the John C. Haney Foundation, is one of the latest additions to a growing network of mental health support spaces in Northeast Ohio schools. 

John’s Safe Space at the EEC was completed in April 2026 in memory of John Haney, a 2012 Fairview High School graduate and graduate of Baldwin Wallace University, who died in 2017. 

The JCH Foundation was established in 2018 by his parents, Beth and Rick Haney, who have made it their mission to honor his memory and promote mental health awareness, education, and support.

“I see how these kids struggle. We’re trying to break that stigma and tell kids it’s OK to feel that way, and we can help you.”

John’s Safe Space is designed to provide students with a calm, supervised area where they can decompress, speak with trusted adults, and work through difficult emotions. The space at the EEC is the foundation's first in a toddler or preschool-level building. 

“Even the youngest learners have big feelings and don’t know how to cope,” said Beth, who is also a Childcare Toddler teacher at the EEC. “This is why we are teaching them at the youngest age how to self-regulate, and it’s OK not to be OK.”

"John's Safe Place has been such a great addition to our building," Parkview's Early Education Coordinator Susan Morrison said. "It is used on a regular basis for students who need to take a break from the classroom and need to take a moment for themselves. One of the favorite features is the fish tube. Students, and sometimes staff, love to watch the fish and bubbles in the tube. We are so thankful for Rick and Beth Haney and the JCH Foundation, and are so honored that they donated this space to the EEC."

In 2020, the foundation opened its first John’s Safe Place room at Fairview High School and Lewis F. Mayer Middle School. In 2022, another room opened at Gilles-Sweet Elementary School, and now a third is open at the EEC. 

“We wanted to keep scholarships going through Fairview High School, and we wanted to support mental health awareness,” Rick explained. “We also wanted to expand it as something that we could visibly see with the money that we had.”

 

For the Haneys, the name John’s Safe Place comes directly from John’s character. His mom recalled a student who attended John’s funeral and shared that John had protected him from bullying during school.

“He said that he would have never made it through school if it weren’t for John Haney,” Beth explained. “He said, ‘I was bullied all through middle school and high school, but if I heard John’s voice in the hallway, I knew I was safe, because he protected me.’ So that’s why we named it John’s Safe Place.”

In just a few years, John’s Safe Place has expanded throughout Northeast Ohio. 

This spring, the foundation opened its 47th room in the area. They hope to reach 50 rooms this year, a meaningful number because 50 was John’s football number at Fairview. 

At the EEC, the need for the space became clear as staff worked with young children who needed a place outside of the classroom to calm down and reset.

Beth said students were sometimes using office spaces because there was no dedicated area designed for that purpose.

“It’s special, and it means a lot to me,” said Beth. “I see how these kids struggle. We tell other districts to start with their youngest ones…We’re trying to break that stigma and tell kids it’s OK to feel that way, and we can help you.”

“This is not a sensory room,” Rick added. “This is a safe place for people to go to that are struggling mentally with all these different problems…these kids have to know that there’s hope out there, and they’ve got people that care about them.”

 

Rick said some students use the rooms to start their day, and others use them during lunch when the cafeteria feels overwhelming. Staff members also use them when they need a quiet space.  

They estimate that John’s Safe Place rooms are used thousands of times each year, across participating schools in the area. 

“It’s not about the statistics, it really isn’t,” Rick expressed. “If out of the thousands of people that go through John’s Safe Place, if one makes it through because of that, it’s all worth it. But we know there’s more.”

With growing interest from schools across Northeast Ohio and beyond, the JCH Foundation continues its mission of expanding John’s Safe Place rooms while supporting mental health awareness, educator training, and scholarships.

For more information, including ways to donate or support upcoming foundation events, visit thejchfoundation.com. The foundation has planned two key fundraisers this summer, including the annual golf outing on July 17 and car meet on August 15. Information on both fundraisers is available on the website.

“The need is still there,” Rick said. “We’re still getting calls. We currently have about eight schools in line to get the rooms. We never solicit anyone. It’s just all word-of-mouth.”