Impact of a Mental Health Consultation Program on Child Psychosocial Development over Two School Years

TL;DR

A mental health consultation program improved child psychosocial development over two school years compared to a control program.

Contribution

This study provides new evidence on the long-term effectiveness of a mental health consultation model in early childhood education.

Findings

JS+CS improved DECA Initiative and Self-Regulation compared to controls.

Significant time-by-group interactions were observed for child psychosocial outcomes.

The program supports scalable mental health consultation in ECE settings.

Abstract

High-quality early care and education (ECE) programs, characterized by safe environments, emotionally supportive communication, proactive behavior supports, and teacher self-care practices, play a pivotal role in healthy child development. Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) is an evidence-based approach designed to strengthen these environments and support young children’s social–emotional outcomes. However, the long-term impacts of ECMHC models remain understudied. Grounded in ECMHC, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Jump Start Plus COVID Support (JS+CS) in supporting child psychosocial outcomes (prosocial behaviors and reduced externalizing/internalizing behaviors) over two school years. In a cluster-randomized trial, 12 ECE centers received the 14-week JS+CS intervention, and 12 attention control centers received a 14-week obesity prevention program. Children were followed over two school years to determine long-term impacts on behavior, measured by the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Over two school years, significant time-by-group interactions emerged for primary child outcomes. The JS+CS group showed greater improvements in DECA Initiative and Self-Regulation (p = 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively) compared to controls. JS+CS significantly enhanced child psychosocial functioning, supporting its potential as an effective model for a scalable mental health consultation in ECE settings.

Figures