•Ensuring relationship-based, trauma-informed, and reflective support is available to early childhood professionals caring for young children within early childhood programs receiving E-ECMHC services.
•Partnering with center administration of up to 3 early childhood education programs to: 1) meet the social and emotional skill building of teaching staff, 2) create policies and procedures necessary to promote practice supportive of early childhood mental health, and 3) form partnerships with families that are equitable and focused on increasing the well-being of the child and family unit.
•Promoting the mental health and social-emotional development of children through child-level ECMHC utilizing outcome evaluation tools, including the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment-Clinical (DECA- C); The Preschool Expulsion Risk Measure (PERM)and the Satisfaction Survey, entered into required state databases within the required timeframes.
•Providing families attending all participating programs with information regarding community resources, child development, kindergarten readiness, and kindergarten transition and ensure the provision of a kindergarten transition meeting to include the kindergarten teacher, ECMHC, and family members to
review current strengths, needs, behavior supports, and transition strategies for
all children currently receiving child-level ECMHC services.
•Providing guidance to professionals and caregivers to effectively understand and support children’s positive behavior and development through the provision of classroom-level ECMHC and utilize outcomes evaluation tools to include Climate of Healthy Interactions for Learning & Development (CHILD) and the Satisfaction Survey, entered into required state databases the required timeframes.
• Promoting high-quality interactions and relationships between adults and children through the provision of program-level ECMHC utilizing outcome evaluation tools, including the Satisfaction Survey, entered into required state databases within required timeframes.
• Developing, promoting, and providing a minimum of two community-level ECMHC trainings focused on social-emotional practices for professionals to support program and/or community-level ECMHC.
• Developing, promoting, and providing a minimum of two community-level ECMHC trainings focused on social-emotional practices for families to support program and/or community-level ECMHC.
• Linking early childhood programs with quality improvement coaching as needed to address classroom-level needs that are better met through coaching rather than ECMHC at embedded programs.
• Participation in Individualized Services and Support Team (ISST) meetings for children at risk of suspension/expulsion. These meetings will be coordinated and facilitated by JIAFK, for children at-risk of suspension and/or expulsion from the participating centers.
• Attend all ECMHC training and meetings as required through the Colorado
Department of Human Services and/or the Office of Early Childhood.
• Work collaboratively with JI Research, Data, + Evaluation Manager and/or other
requesting partners to collect and report data for programming.
• Engage in productive and respectful communications with JI leadership and colleagues.
• Work productively with JI’s management team to pursue policy changes and
recommendations as driven by data and Collective Impact discussions.
• Displays a positive attitude, works well with others, and accepts direction well.
• Ability to work well under stressful and emotionally-taxing circumstances and engage in effective self-care.
• Embraces the importance of racial equity and supports JI’s strategies and culture to support equity in EC systems and implements JI’s Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) as requested.
• Work effectively with those representing a variety of needs and abilities, with varying socioeconomic, cultural, and racial backgrounds.
• Recognize that we hold attitudes and beliefs that can detrimentally influence our perceptions of and interactions with individuals who are diverse from ourselves.
• Treat children and families with respect, dignity, and empathy.
• Review work for accuracy, clarity, timeliness, and conformance with procedures and processes.
• Commit to JI’s organizational mission, vision, and operating philosophies in
compliance with instructions, policies, and guidance.
• Assume other tasks and projects as assigned.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS + ABILITIES
• Ability to organize and manage multiple tasks concurrently.
• Must possess strong leadership skills and an ability to build relationships and connect people with one another for a common goal.
• Excellent written and verbal skills.
• Function and work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to work with a diverse population, modifying intervention strategies
for different settings, levels of experience and education, and learning
styles.
• Ability to plan and complete projects within designated timeframes.
• Ability to manage conflict constructively and apply problem-solving skills to develop solutions for unanticipated issues and challenges.
• Must be proficient in a Windows and web-based technology environment.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality in regard to work performed.
EDUCATION + EXPERIENCE
Hold a master’s degree in a license-eligible mental health field such as social work, psychology, or a related field with a focus or experience in early childhood development.
• Consultants must have at a minimum, expertise in the following areas: adult and child mental health theory, practice, and services; early childhood, child development, and family systems; circumstances that affect children’s behavior and mental health; developmental science and milestones; consultative model of practice; and available services to children and families to alleviate family stress. If any gaps in expertise exist, agency supervisors and ECMH consultants must create and submit a training plan to address individual training needs to the OEC ECMH Program Manager within 8 weeks of hire. Individuals who do not meet the above criteria will collaborate with the ECMH Program Manager to create a training plan to address training needs.
• Be endorsed, working towards endorsement or have a plan in place to begin the process to achieve the Endorsement for Culturally-Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health® and/or Early Childhood Mental Health®, which is issued through the Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health (CoAIMH).
• Have received the following training/certifications or have a plan in place for when and how these training/certifications will be completed:
o Climate of Healthy Interactions for Learning & Development (CHILD) Assessment,
o Devereux Early Childhood Assessment-Clinical (DECA-C) Assessment, and
o DC: 0-5 Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood Training.
• Commit to 15 hours annually of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). All CPD hours must be related to early childhood mental health consultation and ancillary activities as defined in Section IV and not exclusively clinical in nature (e.g., play therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)). CPD hours that meet Infant Mental Health® and/or Early Childhood Mental Health® endorsement requirements shall count toward the annual 15 CPD hours and do not need to be ‘in addition to’ endorsement hours.
SALARY RANGE
$45,000 - $50,000 annual salary, with an additional 15.35% benefits stipend allowance.
COMPUTER SKILLS
To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Microsoft software (e.g., Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint). Knowledge of internet tools is desirable (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Safari, Google Chrome).
LANGUAGE + MATH + REASONING ABILITY
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole
numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
CERTIFICATES + LICENSES
Current, valid Colorado driver’s license and proof of auto insurance.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Remote working may be necessary due to current public health concerns; travel is primarily within the Pikes Peak
Region, with occasional travel to surrounding areas in Colorado. For positions that do not have a dedicated JI office, work will be conducted at home, in JI’s open office space, and/or within the community. A laptop computer and cell phone will be provided for every employee regardless of office space designation.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
• The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.