Collaborates with caregivers and program staff to promote equitable, warm, and trusting relationships, consistent routines, and development-enhancing interactions that positively impact classroom and home climates. Understands and values the roles culture and language play in supporting infants’ and young children’s social and emotional development, and incorporates family’s culture and primary language into classrooms and homes to build continuity in the learning experiences for infants and young children between the classroom and home.
Takes time to understand how race/ethnicity, primary language, and abilities influence the family’s experiences and the classroom’s and system’s role in oppressing or supporting wellness. Resists applying a deficit-based perspective to infants, young children, and families who are from historically marginalized and oppressed communities by committing to learning about authentic community strengths and adaptive responses to poverty, historical trauma, and other racialized experiences.
Unless otherwise noted, the IECMH competencies refer to Infant Family Specialist and Early Childhood Family Specialist. If an “MHS” is noted, this competency is related to Infant Mental Health Specialist and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. “MHM” refers to Infant Mental Health Mentor and Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor.
6A.1. Helps families and staff deepen their understanding of how the quality of adult-infant/young child relationships impacts the way that infants and young children experience themselves in various settings, learn expectations, and understand how to interact and get along with others.
Essential or important?: Essential
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Direct Service Skills
Knowledge/Skill Area: Developmental Guidance (MHS)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Uses multiple strategies to help parents/caregivers to a) Understand their role in the social and emotional development of infants and young children, b) Understand what they can do to promote health, language, and cognitive development in infancy and early childhood, and c) Find pleasure in caring for their infants/young children
6A.2. Helps families and staff understand and use (or, in the case of HV staff, support families in using) the power of positive relationships and adult-infant/young child interactions to support growth and development.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Theoretical Foundations
Knowledge/Skill Area: Relationship-Focused, Therapeutic Practice
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Supports and reinforces each parent's [caregiver's] strenghts, emerging competencies, and positive interations and relationships
6A.2. Helps families and staff understand and use (or, in the case of HV staff, support families in using) the power of positive relationships and adult-infant/young child interactions to support growth and development.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Theoretical Foundations
Knowledge/Skill Area: Relationship-Focused, Therapeutic Practice (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Promotes services that reinforce and nurture the caregiver-infant/young child relationship
6A.3. Offers insight into the role of positive sibling, peer, and group interactions in promoting infants' and young children’s growth and well-being. Supports families and staff in promoting, fostering, and/or engaging in such interactions. Suggests, as needed, a range of strategies that honor varying cultural perspectives, and promote successful give-and-take with peers.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Theoretical Founddations
Knowledge/Skill Area: Family Relationships & Dynamics
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Shares with families an understanding and appreciation of family relationship development
6A.3. Offers insight into the role of positive sibling, peer, and group interactions in promoting infants' and young children’s growth and well-being. Supports families and staff in promoting, fostering, and/or engaging in such interactions. Suggests, as needed, a range of strategies that honor varying cultural perspectives, and promote successful give-and-take with peers.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Direct Service Skills
Knowledge/Skill Area: Responding with Empathy
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Effectively implements relationship-focused, therapeutic parent-infant/young child interventions that enhance the capacities of parents [caregivers] and infants/young children
6A.4. Supports the development of and addresses impediments to positive relationships between (1) families and program staff, (2) program team members, (3) early childhood professionals, such as ECE teacher, early childhood providers, ECE administrators, HV staff and their peers and supervisors, and child welfare workers and supervisors.
Essential or important?: Essential
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Thinking
Knowledge/Skill Area: Solving Problems
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Generates new insights and workable solutions to issues related to effective, relationship-focused, family-centered care
6A.4. Supports the development of and addresses impediments to positive relationships between (1) families and program staff, (2) program team members, (3) early childhood professionals, such as ECE teacher, early childhood providers, ECE administrators, HV staff and their peers and supervisors, and child welfare workers and supervisors.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Working with others
Knowledge/Skill Area: Consulting (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Training/coaching of caregivers and/or other professionals (eg, child care teacher, foster parent, health, mental health, legal)
Unless otherwise noted, the IECMH competencies refer to Infant Family Specialist and Early Childhood Family Specialist. If an “MHS” is noted, this competency is related to Infant Mental Health Specialist and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. “MHM” refers to Infant Mental Health Mentor and Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor.
6B.1. Shares information about how infants and young children learn and develop and the role that culture plays in their development and learning in a way that families and staff can understand, embrace, and use.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Direct Service Skills
Knowledge/Skill Area: Developmental Guidance (MHS)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Uses multiple strategies to help parents/caregivers to a) understand their role in the social and emotional development of infants and young children, b) understand what they can do to promote health, language, and cognitive development in infancy and early childhood, and c) find pleasure in caring for their infants/young children
6B.1. Shares information about how infants and young children learn and develop and the role that culture plays in their development and learning in a way that families and staff can understand, embrace, and use.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Theoretical Foundations
Knowledge/Skill Area: Cultural Humility (MHS)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Applies understanding of cultural competence to communicate effectively, establish positive relationships with families, and demonstrate respect for the uniqueness of each client family’s culture
6B.2. Fosters families’ and staff’s abilities to promote and facilitate the development of infants' and young children’s relational capacities and social and emotional learning, including their capacities for connection and self-regulation.
Essential or important?: Essential
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Direct Service Skills
Knowledge/Skill Area: Developmental Guidance (MHS)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Uses multiple strategies to help parents/caregivers to a) understand their role in the social and emotional development of infants and young children, b) understand what they can do to promote health, language, and cognitive development in infancy and early childhood, and c) find pleasure in caring for their infants/young children; Uses toys, books, media, etc as appropriate to support developmental guidance
Unless otherwise noted, the IECMH competencies refer to Infant Family Specialist and Early Childhood Family Specialist. If an “MHS” is noted, this competency is related to Infant Mental Health Specialist and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. “MHM” refers to Infant Mental Health Mentor and Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor.
6C.1. Supports families and staff in initiating, modifying, and/or supporting routines to promote safety and consistency in developmentally appropriate and culturally meaningful ways.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Direct Service Skills
Knowledge/Skill Area: Developmental Guidance (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Helps parents [caregivers] identify goals and activities that encourage interaction and can be woven into the daily routines of the infant/young child and family [caregiving setting]
6C.2. Collaborates with families to promote practices and interactions that respect their cultural values and beliefs and are responsive to the needs of individual infants and young children and groups of infants and young children.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Direct Service Skills
Knowledge/Skill Area: Observation & Listening (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Observes the parent(s) or caregiver(s) and infant/young child together to understand the nature of their relationship, culture, developmental strengths, and capacities for change
6C.2. Collaborates with families to promote practices and interactions that respect their cultural values and beliefs and are responsive to the needs of individual infants and young children and groups of infants and young children.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Working with Others
Knowledge/Skill Area: Collaborating
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Collaborates and shares information with staff of childcare, foster care, community-based programs, and other service agencies to ensure effective, coordinated services
6C.3. Helps staff understand the impact of societal biases and prejudices on one’s own interpretation of infants' and young children’s interactions and behaviors (especially with infants and young children from historically marginalized and oppressed communities).
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Reflection
Knowledge/Skill Area: Self Awareness (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Encourages others (eg, peers, supervisees) to examine their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences in determining a course of action
6C.3. Helps staff understand the impact of societal biases and prejudices on one’s own interpretation of infants' and young children’s interactions and behaviors (especially with infants and young children from historically marginalized and oppressed communities).
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Leading others (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Developing Talent (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Coaches novice practitioners, students, colleagues, reporting employees, and clients in a range of skills to help them become culturally sensitive individuals
Unless otherwise noted, the IECMH competencies refer to Infant Family Specialist and Early Childhood Family Specialist. If an “MHS” is noted, this competency is related to Infant Mental Health Specialist and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. “MHM” refers to Infant Mental Health Mentor and Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor.
6D.1. Assists programs or other settings and staff in selecting, suggesting, and/or implementing observation strategies, tools, assessments, and recording techniques to gain insight into the functioning and social and emotional climate of homes or classrooms, and help to identify and eliminate potential disparities by, race/ethnicity, primary language, culture, abilities, disposition, and life circumstances.
Essential or important?: Essential
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Administration (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Program Evaluation (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Identifies opportunities and needs for program improvements, expanded services, and new services; Applies research findings to culturally sensitive, relationship-focused policies promoting infant mental health
6D.2. Helps families and providers integrate ideas, activities, and resources that infuse mental health principles into the daily routines and interactions of a particular home or classroom that respect and respond to family’s culture, language, and values.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Direct Service Skills
Knowledge/Skill Area: Developmental Guidance (MHS)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Uses toys, books, media, etc, as appropriate to support developmental guidance
6D.2. Helps families and providers integrate ideas, activities, and resources that infuse mental health principles into the daily routines and interactions of a particular home or classroom that respect and respond to family’s culture, language, and values.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Direct Service Skills
Knowledge/Skill Area: Intervention/Treatment Planning (MHS)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Helps parents identify goals and activities that encourage interaction and can be woven into the daily routines of the infant/young child and family
6D.3. Helps providers understand mental health, trauma and healing in the context of historical, racialized trauma.
Essential or important?: Important
IECMHC Endorsement Competency: Leading People (MHM)
Knowledge/Skill Area: Developing Talent (MHM)
As Demonstrated by/Other Work Experience (and Interview): Uses influencing and persuading skills, backed by own and others’ expert knowledge, to promote effective infant mental health principles, practice, and programs