Virginia Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) Pilot
What We Do
As part of the ECMHC program, consultants worked with early childhood teachers and families to promote young children’s healthy social-emotional development, expressing emotions, forming relationships with others, and successfully engaging in the learning environment. Children required extra support from adults building these skills due to disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project Info
This resource was offered to programs serving children birth to five statewide in Virginia starting in 2021-2022 (pilot year 1) and was continued to 2023-2024 (pilot year 3) with the support of the Virginia Department of Education.
Project Status: Closed
Funding Source: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
ECMHC services addressed the following concerns:
- A teacher seeks support addressing challenging behaviors exhibited from one or a few children
- A teacher requires classroom-wide success strategies
- A teacher is concerned about a child’s social-emotional well-being such as possible trauma, anxious or withdrawn behavior
- A teacher is feeling stressed or burned out
- A child is being removed from the learning environment or sent home early
- A program is considering expulsion or asking the child’s family to withdraw from the program.
The ECMHC program was offered through a partnership between the Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Infant & Toddler Specialist Network, and the University of Virginia’s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning.
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Project Leaders
Jason T. Downer
- Professor
- Director, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning
Cloe E. Frank
- Program Management Associate
Sarah Hammond
- Research Specialist Intermediate
Brianna Jaworski
- Project Management Associate
Ann Shargo Lhospital
- Senior Scientist
Kyra Parker
- Ph.D. Student
Ann Partee
- Research Assistant Professor of Education
Amanda P. Williford
- Batten Bicentennial Professor of Early Childhood Education Associate Director for Early Childhood Education
- CASTL Clinical Psychologist