Embedding IECMHC in early intervention

Every Part C evaluation covers social-emotional development. EI providers are also handling more complex family needs on heavy caseloads. Consultation helps them do that work and stay in it. There's no template for building it in, and none of the three states waited for a perfect system. Each one grew consultation from what it already had.

• Wisconsin embeds one consultant in the team. Sarah Kravick works inside six county Birth to 3 programs at CESA 5. She joins team meetings and goes on joint home visits. It works because the team was ready for her and she earned its trust. Turnover is very low, and CESA 5 is now taking the approach to all 72 counties.
• Alabama shares consultants across programs. The Department of Mental Health partners with the Part C lead agency, and its consultants serve EI alongside other early childhood programs. Service coordinators who tried it kept coming back. But consultants are stretched across sectors, so the department plans to hire one just for EI.
• Illinois funds a regional cadre and builds reflection into everything. Each of its 25 regional entry points has had a consultant since the early 2000s, and providers can bill for the time they spend consulting. Consultation alone can't reach more than 4,000 providers, so reflection is built into all of Illinois' EI training. Its EI Collective pays providers to take part, and evaluating it from the start has kept it funded.