Mental Health/Disability Specialist, Butler County

Individuals prepared to collaborate with classroom staff in identifying children in need of individualized developmental and behavioral services; recommend and demonstrate strategies to help children adapt and succeed in the classroom and at home; refer children for additional evaluation by partner agencies for Part B and Part C services and mental health consultation; document and track screenings, individualized services and referrals in child-tracking software. Position provides direct support of children and families as needed through Program Intervention Plans and works with Mental Health and Disabilities Coordinator to recommend referrals to partner agencies and assistance with Individual Education Plans (IEP) or Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP).

Position open in Butler county - Augusta and El Dorado, KS.

• Observe children in classrooms and home settings to help classroom staff identify children with developmental and behavioral needs; attend monthly Multidisciplinary Case Reviews (MCR) with site staff to identify children in need of additional systems of support.
• Recommend strategies to help children with identified concerns adapt more successfully to classroom environment; collaborate with Teachers and Coaches to develop Program Intervention Plans (PIP) and Behavior Safety Plans (BSPs) to provide direct support for children; collaborate with Site Supervisors to lead PIP and BSP meeting with parents and classroom staff; demonstrate and mentor teachers in using these strategies.
• Support classroom staff in identifying and implementing IEP and IFSP recommendations
• Work with contracted Mental Health Consultants on-site to implement social-emotional and behavioral recommendations.
• Achieve reliability in administering, coding and tracking of developmental and behavioral screening tools; train and support classroom staff in using these tools and in completing screenings in compliance with timeline established by Head Start Performance Standards.
• Support staff in communicating with parents the results of children’s developmental and behavioral screenings and any concerns that are identified; assist parents in communicating their concerns for their children with site staff; when appropriate attend home visits with Family Services Staff and/or Teachers to observe children and to provide support to families.
• Along with Family Services Staff, assist parents with children who qualify for referral for possible developmental or speech evaluation in completing referral forms to Local Education Agencies (LEA); assist parents in discussions with LEA representatives.
• Serve as a collaborative team member with the entire MHDB team; participate in regular CAET meetings; attend regular MHDB Team meetings; share duties with team members such as creating monthly MHDB Newsletter, maintaining MHDB resource list, updating yearly the MHDB section of the Head Start Procedures Manual, etc.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree (B.S./B.A.) in early childhood education, social work, or related degree. If education does not include at least 9 hours of Early Childhood coursework, must commit to obtaining that additional education. An Associate’s Degree will be considered with five years of relevant experience and an educational plan to attain a Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field.
• Requires 3 years experience in either Early Childhood Education or in the field of childhood Mental Health and Disabilities working with children with IEPs/IFSPs, or Behavioral Plans.
• Ability to build rapport with children, families and staff and to work effectively as part of a team.
• Knowledge of and sensitivity to cultural differences.
• Ability to maintain a calm, professional demeanor during stressful and sensitive situations.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries.
• Ability to prioritize workload while being flexible to emergent/unplanned needs and situations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Computer literacy.
• Ability to maintain regular on-time attendance.
• Employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 30 pounds for various classroom and event needs.

Benefits

Child Start's Mental Health/Disability Specialist position is $18.13 per hour.