Systematizing Change to Weather Diminished State Budget: Colorado’s Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program
As state budgets—including Colorado’s—face diminished resources, the value of capacity building and systematizing processes and efficiencies is underscored. The Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) program provides a timely example (see box).
Housed within the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), the Early Childhood Mental Health Unit has worked together with the Colorado Lab to build evidence for the ECMHC program. In 2021, Senate Bill 21-137 was passed, requiring an evaluation of the program’s impact and reach in early childhood settings. The multi-year evidence-building effort has been supported by a combination of state and federal funding.
The initial steps of our partnership have focused on the early steps to building evidence. The program has built the infrastructure to use data to improve services for children, families, and early childhood professionals across Colorado, while readying the program for a robust evaluation.
“Over the past four years, we have worked closely with CDEC’s ECMHC team to formalize, define, and measure program elements. They have been realistic about the amount of time it takes to move up the steps to building evidence. They have also been dedicated to creating processes that support them in ensuring the workforce implements the program statewide with fidelity,” said Dr. Kristin Klopfenstein, Executive Director of the Colorado Lab. “Because of their commitment, these efforts have become an essential part of how the program runs within CDEC. This positions them to sustain an evidence-based program amidst budget ups and downs.”
“The data practices we developed with the Colorado Lab help to keep our focus on the elements of consultation that matter most. In turn, this strengthens program delivery and sustainability. The implementation materials we created have been incorporated into the daily work of Early Childhood Mental Health consultants, and data from implementation measures drives our internal decision making about how to best support the workforce. These practices also help to move us toward the consistent and equitable provision of consultation practices across the state,” said Lisa Schlueter, Director of the CDEC Early Childhood Mental Health Unit.
The Colorado Lab will complete its evaluation of the ECMHC program in 2027 and continue to provide thought partnership to the Early Childhood Mental Health team as needed. To learn more, please contact Dr. Kristin Klopfenstein.
Colorado’s Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
This program brings together a statewide network of mental health professionals to support adults who care for young children birth to age 6. The aim is to provide early childhood professionals, parents, and other caregivers with the support and training they need to care for their own well-being and promote the healthy social-emotional development of the children they care for. When these adults are effectively supported through consultation, it is expected there will be:
- Improved policies and procedures in early care and education settings;
- Improved interactions in classrooms and other care settings;
- Less adult stress;
- Increased retention of early childhood professional; and
- Less reliance on exclusionary discipline, like suspension and expulsion.
