Family Service (San Antonio) will foster the healthy development of young children by: preparing child serving systems to identify and refer for screening and assessment children with developmental or behavioral differences; providing consultations to families and providers; educating parents about healthy, safe environments for children; and introducing co-located, integrated primary and behavioral health care for young children with developmental issues.
Project Name: Project LAUNCH San Antonio
Population to be served: Children ages birth to eight who are at-risk for or affected by early childhood mental health concerns and related developmental delays. Of the children assisted by Project LAUNCH, 77% are expected to be Hispanic, 8% Anglo and 11% African American. Three-quarters will be boys, 96% will be economically disadvantaged, and 55% will live with a single parent.
Strategic Interventions: A) Screen children for mental health intervention needs. B) Provide or coordinate evidence-based early intervention services (mental health assessment, consultation and/or trauma-informed counseling). C) Provide workforce development training to early education providers to build knowledge of children’s mental health, developmental indicators, methods of fostering social and emotional learning, and methods of identifying children in need of assistance. D) Build capacity of four partners (Voices for Children, UHS, Baby Court, the San Antonio chapter of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children) and early education providers (childcare centers, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, school districts, PreK4SA) to identify and effectively address children’s mental health concerns at the earliest possible point, reducing health disparities for at-risk populations.
Project Goals and Objectives: The goal is to promote the wellness of children from birth to eight years of age by addressing the social, emotional, cognitive, physical and behavioral aspects of development and preparing them to thrive in school and beyond. Five year objectives are: 1. Improve the capacity of 1,800 childcare and early education providers to understand and support children’s mental health and developmental trajectories. 2. Provide mental health consultation and early intervention services to 970 children and their families. 3. Provide trauma-informed parenting training and support groups to increase the capacity and skills of 125 parents, guardians and family caregivers to promote healthy, safe and secure environments in which young children can learn and grow. 4. Deliver integrated, single site primary and behavioral health care and developmentally appropriate mental health services, in a public pediatric clinic. 5. Establish a Young Child Wellness Council (YCWC) to advise and provide support to Project LAUNCH. 6. Improve coordination and collaboration across child and family-serving systems.
Project LAUNCH will assist 1,195 unduplicated children, 465 families and 1,800 childcare and early education staff across the five-year project period.
