Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

What is Smart Support?

Smart Support partners early childhood mental health  consultants with child care providers to enhance the classroom environment and improve overall quality.

Smart Support can help:

• Ensure the children in your program are engaged and learning

• Manage children's difficult behaviors effectively

• Enhance staff communication skills

• Staff talk with parents about children's needs and behaviors

• Provide referrals to community resources, as needed

How does Smart Support work?

Smart Support consultants work with you to design an individualized plan to meet your program's needs for children ages birth to five. Services may include training, consultation,
implementing classroom strategies, and resources or referrals for specific children or situations. Your plan may be short or long-term depending on need.

What is Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation?

This partnership between child care providers and mental health consultants is:

• A proven approach to supporting the healthy development of children

• Designed to benefit all children, not just those who are exhibiting challenging behaviors

• Essential for child care centers working to maximize the quality of their services

Who provides the service?

Smart Support mental health consultants have a masters level degree in mental health or an early childhood field. All have specialized training in children’s social-emotional development and early care and education staff development. Services are provided by three different organizations depending on the child care program location:

• Southwest Human Development (Central AZ)

• Prevent Child Abuse Arizona (Northern AZ)

• Easter Seals Blake Foundation (Southern AZ)

What are the eligibility requirements?

Child care centers and preschools must be ADHS licensed and home-based providers must be DES regulated.

Is there a cost?

Smart Support is provided at no cost to eligible child care providers.

How do I get started?

Providers must be located in a First Things First funded region of Arizona. Call Smart Support to begin the application process and determine whether your center is located in an eligible area. Following the preliminary application, a mental health consultant will meet with the program director to begin developing a plan for your program.

For more information or to begin the application process call

1-866-330-5520

First Things First (FTF) approved by Arizona voters, works to ensure that our youngest children have access to quality early childhood experiences so they will start school healthy and
ready to succeed. Across the state, FTF regional partnership councils – in collaboration with local leaders – identify the education and health needs of children from birth through age five in their communities and fund strategies to address those needs.

Smart Support partners include: