Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist

Mental Health Specialist

Location: Kansas City Metro Area 

Organization: Futures First 

Job Type: Full-time
Compensation:  The role described below offers a base salary of  $23.08- $26.44 per hour. Your offer will be determined based on how your qualifications align with the requirements of the position and internal equity. In addition to the stated salary, Futures First Total Rewards package includes a comprehensive benefits plan. 

Benefits Offered:

• Medical Insurance 
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
• Vision & Dental Insurance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with matching up to 2%
• Yearly 5% employer retirement contribution
• Personal Time Off (PTO)
• Rolling Paid Holidays (Instead of a fixed holiday schedule, employees may observe holidays that reflect their personal, cultural, or religious beliefs.)
• Flexible Work Schedules (Hybrid Model)

Salary Range

$23.08-$26.44

Job Summary:

The Mental Health Specialist supports social emotional development of children through consultation and coaching of early education staff. Consultation and coaching includes observation, assessment, social emotional and mental health screening and training. Additionally, consultation and coaching helps to strengthen early educators’ capacity to use everyday situations and conflicts to teach and model developmentally appropriate social skills and support mental health. The Mental Health Specialist works in collaboration with early childhood staff and families to improve their ability to prevent, identify and reduce the impact of trauma among children ages zero to six.

Essential Job Results

• Consults with partner teachers, support staff and administrators in assessing site needs and developing practices that support social emotional development of enrolled children. Collaborates with partner site staff and parents to implement supportive discipline strategies that promote best practices for early childhood social/emotional wellness and decrease challenging behavior.
• Conducts classroom and individual child observations to support social/emotional development of children and strengthens capacity of staff and families to address challenging behavior.
• Maintains applicable documentation and completes all required paperwork in a timely and organized manner, according to Futures Fist policies and procedures.
• Provides child or family-centered consultation to address factors that contribute to an individual child's success in functioning in the early childhood setting. Collaborates with teachers, support staff, interdisciplinary teams, program management and parents/guardians as needed to develop and implement individualized behavior support plans for children to support social emotional development and address mental health concerns within the early childhood setting. Provides referrals to community providers for mental health follow up when necessary, and provides support for parents/guardians in pursuing resources available.

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Master's degree in Social Work or related field required.
• LMSW or related licensure to be obtained within a year of hire.
• Minimum one year prior professional experience providing services to infants, toddlers and pre-school age children and their families required.
• Possess knowledge of infant/early childhood development.
• Possess excellent communications skills and teaching/training skills.
• Open to change and considerable variety in work environments. Be able to adjust to new or changing situations and unexpected events. Willing to work flexible hours, including evening and weekends.
• Understand and show respect and appreciation for the uniqueness of all individuals; acknowledge differences in others’ perspectives and ideas; appreciate cultural differences and adjust one’s approach to successfully integrate with others who are different from oneself.
• Travel throughout the facility, metropolitan area and counties within the service delivery area is required.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Bilingual fluency in written and oral English/Spanish.
• Prior relevant work experience with communities of color, communities subjected to poverty, immigrants and other communities subjected to oppression.
• KAIMH endorsement at Level II or higher in Early Childhood Mental Health or demonstrated active pursuit of Level II endorsement.

Why Join Futures First?

At Futures First, you will be part of a highly respected organization committed to strengthening children, families, and communities across the Kansas City metro area. You will join a collaborative team that values relationships, innovation, and continuous improvement while making a meaningful impact on the quality of early care and education experiences for children and families. 

Equal Employment Opportunity & Accommodations

The Futures First is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected status.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please contact Nicole Benoit at [email protected] to discuss your needs.