Structure the service
Here you'll find program design documents, logic models, and our program manual. They show how consultation is structured inside a program.
What's in this collection
Program structure: the nuts and bolts of IECMHC service delivery and IECMHC program infrastructure, what you provide, to whom, where, and how, and how to pull it all together.
Laying the groundwork: community context
As programs and practitioners develop IECMHC services, it is important to explore community needs and strengths, including the cultural and systemic context, and apply findings strategically to the consultation approach.
Sample Needs Assessment: Conducting a needs assessment with stakeholders is a crucial first step in designing an IECMHC program.
Program design
Program Planning & Reflection Tool (PPRT): The PPRT is a comprehensive program design tool, and a good starting point for program design efforts.
Design element 1: mission, vision, and values
Program design should be grounded in a well-articulated vision that reflects program values and aligns with program goals. To organize concepts for both program development and evaluation purposes, theories of change and logic models serve as “roadmaps” that graphically depict the connections between the community context, the actions to be undertaken, and the desired outcomes.
Design element 2: service settings and eligibility
An essential component of service design is specifying where and to whom services will be provided.
Designing an IECMHC Program: Four Essential Building Blocks: This brief reviews four key areas of program design, including eligibility determination, and offers examples of how they have been implemented in a range of IECMHC programs.
Design element 3: service array and intensity
Clearly delineating the services that your program does, and does not, provide, as well as the “dosage” of consultation offered is critical.
The Essential Activities of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: The CoE conducted a consensus-building research study to distill the essential activities of IECMHC.
Design element 4: consultation phases
The sequencing of consultation services is another important design element. The Center of Excellence has identified three major phases of IECMHC work: Initiation, Service Delivery (encompassing plan development, implementation, and revision), and Service Conclusion.
A Day in the Life of an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant: This resource contains a series of real-life vignettes that describe the different phases of the work that a MHC may encounter in the course of an average day.
Design guidance from the field
Program Manual Planning Document: The Program Manual Planning Document was created to help programs with the complex task of creating a program manual. Each of the eight sections has recommendations, sample language and links to resources.
IECMHC and the Pyramid Model: different yet complementary
Understanding Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation and the Pyramid Model: Many programs have both IECMH consultants and Pyramid coaches working together or in parallel. This brief provides information on how consultation and coaches fit together and highlights important differences.
Program sustainability
Sustainability Modules: Initiating and ultimately sustaining infant and early childhood mental health consultation activities involves more than just having a great program.
Infrastructure and administrative tools
Sample program manuals, memoranda of understanding, and contracts are in the library below.
Browse the library
Everything is free, and you don't need an account.
Most usedSelf-assessmentProgram Planning and Reflection Tool (PPRT)The PPRT helps programs at any stage of development see where to focus planning, implementation, or improvement. Program leaders look at their progress in five domains: Program Structure, Workforce, Program Evaluation, Equity, and Policy & Financing. From there, they build a growth plan that fits the program’s needs and goals. GuideInformation on IECMHC and Tribal NationsThis collection helps programs, local governments, and Tribal Nations build better IECMHC services and systems for infants, toddlers, young children, and their families. Use it as a reference when building relationships with tribal communities and programs, or when tribal communities build their own IECMHC systems. GuideTheory of Change for IECMHCA theory of change shows how consultation leads to better outcomes for children, families, and staff. Use these guides and examples to build one for your program. Most usedReportState ProfilesHow every state funds, staffs, and runs infant and early childhood mental health consultation, from our national scan. CourseUnderstanding Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation and the Pyramid Model: How Do These Approaches Fit Together, and How Are They Different?This resource was completed as part of the Center of Excellence for IECMHC, Phase 1. Many programs have both IECMH consultants and Pyramid coaches working together or in parallel. This brief provides information on how consultation and coaches fit together and highlights important differences. CourseTutorial 1: Strengthening Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation in Head Start and Early Head Start ProgramsThis tutorial looks at Head Start and Early Head Start’s long commitment to mental health services, including mental health consultation. It covers developments in early childhood mental health consultation. It also shows how the Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation can help programs strengthen their consultation services. CourseTutorial 2: Defining Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation and the Consultant RoleThis tutorial describes early childhood mental health consultation in detail, including how it differs from other mental health interventions. It also gives an overview of the key roles mental health consultants play. GuideIECMHC Program Manual Planning Document CourseIECMHC Sustainability ModulesInitiating and ultimately sustaining infant and early childhood mental health consultation activities involves more than just having a great program. Strategic funding decisions and policy development can be critical to ensuring that IECMHC activities are integrated into established child-serving systems and have the potential to make lasting impact. In this module, we have identified five areas of sustainability to consider in addition to financing. CourseTutorial 8: Developing a Vision and Strategic Planning for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation ServicesThis tutorial helps Head Start and Early Head Start directors and administrators create a program-wide vision for mental health and mental health consultation. They then build and carry out a strategic plan for it. Administrators also learn how to make consultation more effective by building staff-consultant relationships and by supporting and overseeing their consultants. CourseTutorial 9: Implementing and Evaluating ECMHC ServicesThis tutorial gives Head Start and Early Head Start administrators ideas and tools to plan and sustain effective mental health consultation. Administrators learn to write strong job descriptions and contracts for consultants. They also learn to build a mental health team or committee to guide and sustain the consultant’s work. The last module covers quality assurance and quality improvement feedback loops for consultation services. Self-assessmentEarly Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program Needs Assessment SurveysNeeds assessment surveys for early childhood mental health consultation programs, developed by Beth Green and Mary Dallas Allen.