Head Start Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

About Denver Health’s Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program

Denver Health’s Head Start Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation program began supporting Denver Great Kids Head Start sites in July 2008.

ZERO to THREE defines infant and early childhood mental health as the developing capacity of the child from birth to 5 years of age to form close relationships, manage and express emotions, explore the environment, and learn. Early childhood mental health is sometimes referred to as social emotional health. Children begin to develop social and emotional competencies early in life. 

During this stage of life, it is extremely common for young children to benefit from receiving additional social and emotional support. Because of this, it is a federal regulation of Head Start to provide access to Early Childhood Mental Consultants. As a Denver Great Kids Head Start family, you have access to a Denver Health Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant.

Social and emotional development varies greatly in young children. If you have questions or concerns about your child's development, behaviors, or emotions please contact your consultant. If you have concerns of your own and would like to connect to someone to discuss anything related to your experience as a parent, your current stressors or concerns, or your hopes and goals for your child, please reach out to the consultation team.

A consultant is a licensed mental health professional with expertise in early childhood mental health and social-emotional development. Denver Health is contracted to provide Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation which offers Child and Family-focused Consultation, Classroom-focused consultation, and Program-Focused Consultation. Consultation is a support for teachers, children, and parents of Denver Great Kids Head Start programs.

We are a no-cost program that is funded by Denver Great Kids Head Start Colorado, Department of Early Childhood, the Buell Foundation, and Tony Grampus Youth Services.

 

Meet the ECMHC Team

Learn more about our team here

 

Sites We Serve

  • Catholic Charities Early Learning
  • Volunteers of America Early Learning
  • Family Star Montessori Early Learning
  • Clayton Early Learning
  • The Z Place – Sewall Early Learning
  • Denver Public Schools – Early Education
    • McGlone
    • Swansea
    • Whittier
    • Smith
    • Samuels
    • Montclair
    • Escalante-Biggs
    • Ellis
    • College View
    • Beach Court

Additional Information and Resources

Services Provided

Child and Family-Focused Consultation: A service that is for individual children and families only after receiving a program referral form for consultation by the head start center and legal guardian.

We provide the following services as needed:

  • Attending school meetings that pertain to this child and family.
  • Support the teacher or caregiver in completing and returning resiliency assessments.
  • Provide community resources and strategies for social emotional development.

Classroom-Focused consultation: Can be requested at any time, with or without child and family-focused referrals present. Consultants will provide classroom-focused consultation after the request for Classroom-Focused Consultation is completed.

The following are some of the services provided:

  • Attend collaborative meetings and/or team meetings that pertain to shared classroom goals
  • Complete a classroom observation using the CHILD (Climate for Healthy Interactions for Learning & Development). The CHILD provides guidance for establishing mutual goals and seeks to improve the overall mental health climate of the classroom.

Programmatic Consultation Services: Programmatic Consultation focuses on improving the overall quality of the program.

Examples of how we support programs:

  • Train staff and parent (caregivers) on mental health related topics
  • Address programmatic issues and/or identify and address program needs
  • Design and implement early childhood mental health best practices within the program
  • Consult with the director, assistant director, administrative staff
  • Provide Relationship-Based Reflective Processing (RRP) to facilitate reduced job-related stress and improve capacity to navigate the emotional challenges of work, while developing reflective skills in Early Childhood Education Staff.

Program Referral Forms

Child and Family Focused Referral - Parent Acknowledgement Form

Child and Family Focused Referral - Referring ECE Center

Spanish Child and Family Focused Referral - Parent Acknowledgement Form

Spanish Child and Family Focused Referral – Referring ECE Center

The SEL Support Corner

What is Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation? / Que es Consulta de salud mental en la primera infancia

Bedtime routines / Rutinas a la hora de dormir / Wakhtiga Seexashada

The Impact of Technology on Children / El impacto de la tecnología en los niños / Saamaynta Teknooloojiyada ee Caruurta

The Importance of Play / Beneficios del juego para los niñosفوائد اللعب للأطفالጨዋታ ለህፃናት ያላቸው ጥቅሞች

Daily routines for parents / Rutinas diarias / Hawlmaalmeedka Maalintiiالروتينات اليوم / ዕለታዊ የዕለት ተዕለት ተግባራት 

Resources

Denver Great Kids Head Start

Colorado Department of Early Childhood