Project Background

The Behavioral Consultation Project has proudly partnered with Sonoma County’s childcare and preschool community since 2001. Through the generous funding of Sonoma County First Five, he project provides FREE consultation services to childcare providers and preschool teachers serving children birth through age 5 who have not yet begun Kindergarten. Our team of consultants include: mental health clinicians, early childhood education specialists, behaviorists, and parent liaisons. Many of our consultants are bilingual and bicultural. We work collaboratively with childcare providers, preschool teachers and families to address behavioral, temperamental, developmental or mental health issues. We help facilitate positive, culturally sensitive relationships with parents and develop collaborative goals and action plans to address the needs of the child, family and program. While we often focus on the needs of a specific child, one of the goals of consultation is to build the teachers and providers skills in working with all children.
   

Early Learning Institute (ELI) is partnering with Jewish Family and Children’s Services and ABC Special Start to do the important work of providing consultation to the childcare and preschool community. All three agencies have experience working in early childhood programs and bring both a specific expertise related to early childhood programs as well as potential connection to other programs the agencies offer.

How We Can Work Together

You are the expert. The expert on your program, curriculum, and the children in your care. When we work with providers and parents, we bring our experience and credentials as consultants to the process, but providers and parents bring the expertise. Here’s a brief summary of the collaborative process:
   

Opening a case: Provider calls ELI at 591-0170. We will take down your information and send you a referral packet: a “Parent information” letter for the parent to keep; a “Parent Consent” for the parent to fill out and return to you; a “Provider Survey” and “Behavioral Checklist” for you to fill out and return. We can send paperwork via fax, email attachment, or postal mail. We will also provide phone support to complete the survey or checklist. When we receive the paperwork back the case is assigned to a consultant. Cases are assigned within two business days of receiving the paperwork from you.
   

Intake: The consultant contacts you and comes out to your program to begin the intake. The consultant will observe the child, meet with you, meet with the parent and fill out two developmental screening tools.
   

Goal and Action Plan: When enough information is gathered, the consultant will set goals in collaboration with parent and provider to address the child’s needs. Each party (consultant, provider and parent) will have Actions to carry out to meet those Goals. The Actions all parties agreed to are the basis for the Intervention.
   

Intervention: The consultant may continue to work with the program and family or another consultant with a specific set of skills may take over this phase. Interventions may include helping the family access resources, developing curriculum with the teachers, “coaching” teachers in how they interact with a child, assigning a behaviorist, holding an in-service with staff on a particular topic, and many more.
   

Referrals: The Project provides consultation, not comprehensive services. When a child or family has intensive needs, we will help connect them with additional resources in the community such as speech and language services, parenting classes, counseling, etc. When a childcare or preschool program has significant needs, we will help with connection to additional resources such as Minigrants, Mentor programs, SRJC classes, professional organizations and more.
   

Questions?

If you have questions about the project or you want to open a case, please contact the Early Learning Institute.
Phone: (707) 591-0170
You can also send email: kathleenk(at)earlylearninginstitute(dot)com
An electronic contact form will be added to our website soon.

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