The goal of the SD Social-Emotional Consultation Project is to support healthy social-emotional development of children in early childhood and school age settings by integrating mental health services at child care centers and family child care homes.

In Region 1, Early Childhood Connections collaborates with a Social Emotional Consultant from Behavior Management Systems to meet the objectives of the Project.  Those objectives are met through on-site technical assistance from both the Social Emotional Consultant and ECC staff.  If center staff or family child care providers identify possible social-emotional issues, they can contact ECC.  A representative from ECC will meet with the provider and complete an observation to review environment, caregiver behavior, management practices, and how children in caregiver's care are responding to these areas.  ECC staff identifies what technical assistance can be offered and may suggest that the Social Emotional Consultant be invited in to make an observation.

ECC staff and the Social Emotional Consultant will discuss observations with providers and make written recommendations that serve as an action plan to address behavior management/social-emotional issues.  Providers are asked to make a commitment to follow through with recommendations they feel they can accomodate to their environment before further technical assistance will be offered.

For more information, click here to contact Tammy Arens-Beauchamp.