Smart Support, Arizona’s early childhood mental health consultation system came about through FTF’s commitment to the success of Arizona’s youngest citizens. And that commitment has been rewarded! Analyses of the first year’s data indicate that after 6 months of mental health consultation services, preschool teachers and child care providers report greater confidence in their abilities and a deeper understanding of children’s social-emotional development. They also conduct their classrooms with significantly greater emotional sensitivity overall than before receiving consultation. These impressive beginnings support mental health consultation as an effective strategy with child care teachers in Arizona as they work to support children’s social and emotional development.
Our goal for this study was to pilot an evaluation that would attempt to meet several objectives: 1) inform the program’s ongoing design and implementation; 2) add to the field of literature on effective strategies for early childhood mental health consultation; and 3) provide findings that could guide Arizona and other states’ efforts to build a comprehensive system of quality enhancement initiatives for the entire continuum of child care providers.
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