Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant

Overview

General Summary: Under the supervision of the Family Well-Being Manager, the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant (ECMHC) is responsible for providing early childhood mental health consultation support to Head Start staff, children, and families. The ECMHC will provide the following: consultation in classrooms, training and coaching staff, screening, assessment and referral services, and parent trainings. The ECHMC will also collect data, maintain records, and support compliance within all aspects of Head Start Performance Standards, State regulations, and Agency policy. Essential Duties And Responsibilities Within a team environment, this position will perform the following responsibilities: General Classroom Observations, Consultation, & Coaching (40%) - Provide child development information related to social-emotional development and mental health. - Provide guidance and model developmentally appropriate activities for children and effective ways to work with and support young children. - Provide written and oral observations and strengths-based feedback to Head Start staff and families. - Meet with classroom teams to review classroom observations and develop and implement plans as needed. Individualized Child and Family Centered Observations and Consultation (30%) - Conduct observations and assessments of individual children assigned or referred for consultation. - Meet with families to consult on child and family needs and create or follow-up on plans to support these needs. - Provide child and family referral and follow-up to community services. Staff Training (10%) - Support, coordinate, and provide staff trainings related to Trauma Informed Care, Social-Emotional and mental health issues as needed. Other: (20%) - Provide Trauma Informed Care Consultation in the office, family child care homes, Head Start centers, daycare settings or out in the community. - Provide Trauma Informed trainings to caregivers, providers and the general public, as needed or at the direction of the Family Well-Being Manager - Participate in Reflective Supervision with Family Well-Being Manager. - Contribute to federal, state, and local reporting requirements. - Comply with CA Mandated Child Abuse Reporting Laws - Complete all related documentation within contract and Agency deadlines. - Maintain proper confidentiality procedures when handling records and information - Develop and maintain well-defined lines of communication and professional boundaries Non-Essential Duties And Responsibilities These duties include tasks that are required and comprise less than 5% of daily functions for this job:  Keep up to date with child development, trauma informed care and mental health literature, research, and trends in the business and politics of early care and education.  Prepare oral and written reports as needed.  Represent our organization at community events including sponsored events, community outreaches, Best Start meetings, and Special Planning Area meetings.  Other duties as assigned. Job Specifications Minimum Required Education: Master’s Degree in psychology, social work, child development or related Experience: o Minimum of 2 years of direct experience in a day care, classroom setting, and/or mental health setting providing prevention services in the form of teaching and/or coaching child care providers and caregivers. o Minimum of 2 years’ experience, working with children birth to five and their families in any capacity (teaching, school, center, day care, etc.). o Knowledge of trauma informed care, mental health and developmental issues with children 0-5 years. o Some experience with curriculum, teaching methods, group management, and behavior intervention. Professional/Technical Certifications: o Must have current license or be license-eligible in the State of CA (AMFT, LMFT, ACSW, LCSW – and registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)); must maintain current CA BBS licensure/registration in good standing for the duration of employment. o Maintain First Aid & CPR certification. Technical Requirements: o Computer skills; including web browsing, e-mail, data entry, and word processing. Proficiency in Windows-based programs including Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel. Bilingual Required: Ability to converse, write and/or translate in English and Spanish Behavioral: o Must have ability to follow oral and written directions. o Must have ability to establish and maintain cooperative, diplomatic working relationships with co-workers, families, and the community to work as part of a team. Travel: Some travel/business related driving required; automobile, current auto insurance, current California Driver’s License and DMV clearance required. Work Schedule: Full time, typically M-F, ability to at times work a non-traditional work schedule including early mornings, late evenings and weekends. Work environment: Mixture of working in an office work environment and working directly with the community Background & Health Clearance Requirements: Bridge & FWB o Criminal Records (e.g. LiveScan Fingerprinting), Child Abuse Index Check, Sexual Offender Registry, Health and Tuberculosis (TB) test clearances required. Preferred All minimum requirements above met, plus Professional/Technical Certifications: LMFT, LCSW highly desirable Physical Demands The physical demands described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher
• ANY of the following valid licenses/certifications:
  • AMFT in California (CA)
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California (CA)
  • ACSW in California (CA)
  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California (CA)
• Day Care (2+ years)
• Mental Health (2+ years)
• Are you registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)?
• Are you bilingual English/Spanish?
• ANY of the following valid licenses/certifications:
  • American Heart Association Basic Life Support (AHA BLS)
  • American Red Cross Basic Life Support (ARC BLS)

Company

Our client is a unique and distinctive leader in the child care industry. They offer support and education to both parents and early childhood educators. They help parents to navigate the child care system and find the best possible care for their child. They also provide training, technical assistance and professional development to early childhood educators, to assist them in creating quality learning environments for children of all backgrounds and abilities.