El Hogar del Niño, now part of Brightpoint (formerly Children's Home & Aid), has been a leader in providing high-quality early childhood care and education services, with an expert focus on the needs of Latinx and newly arriving families in the Pilsen community for 50 years. Brightpoint and El Hogar Del Niño believe that family is the most important asset for child and youth wellbeing, which is rooted in each organization’s commitment to early childhood care and education. Our greatest strength is our shared commitment to support strong families which create thriving children and communities.

The Mental Health Coordinator will ensure Head Start/Early Head Start programs implement and adhere to the Head Start performance standards, as well as state, and local requirements for mental health services. Responsible for implementing systems to provide mental health services according to Start Early’s policies and procedures the Coordinator will organize trainings, conduct classroom individualized interventions, provide modeling of interventions to teachers, and monitor lesson plans to ensure that the needs of children with social, emotional, and adaptive behavioral needs are met. The Coordinator also directly supervises assigned Inclusion Aides. 

Core Responsibilities: 

Supervise and monitor performance and scheduling of Inclusion Aides. Hire and train staff while implementing the organizations personnel policies and practices.  Support the classroom implementation of interventions identified from individual children's support plans. Ensure mental health services are being provided according to the Head Start Program Performance Standards and Start Early Policies and Procedures.  In partnership with the Manager of Diverse Learner and Wellness Services, lead the Conscious Discipline Action Team, including facilitating team meetings, ensuring that all staff are trained in Conscious Discipline, and monitoring of the implementation of the Conscious Discipline social emotional curriculum in both Early Head Start and Head Start programs. Refer identified children to community mental health providers for mental health assessment and services. Coordinate a multidisciplinary team that supports children going through the mental health referral process, including referring children for mental formulating and monitoring Interim Support Plans and Positive Behavior Support Plans. Provide classroom observations with feedback to teaching teams regarding Conscious Discipline and Behavior Support Plans. Monitor lesson plans to ensure that they include activities and/or accommodations for children with Positive Behavior Support plans. Model intervention strategies and provides guidance to support teaching teams in the implementation of Interim and Positive Behavior Support Plans for identified children. Plan and coordinate staff wellness activities throughout the program year in collaboration with program and site leadership. Understand the Active Supervision Policy and Procedure and support other staff in ensuring the health and safety of children in the program. Create and maintain collaborative community partnership agreements with local community-based mental health services to ensure families have access to mental health services in their local community for both parents and children. Meet all record keeping requirements of Brightpoint, Early Head Start/Head Start Performance standards, programs, and funders.

Candidate qualifications:

Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or Marriage and Family Therapy required. Clinical licensure in the state of Illinois (LCSW, LCPC or LMFT) strongly preferred; candidates who are scheduled to take the clinical licensure exam may be considered and must obtain, and maintain, clinical Illinois license within 6 months of employment.  A minimum of two years of experience in an Early Childhood Education setting preferred. Experience working with culturally diverse populations preferred. Demonstrates a strong understanding of the Head Start Program Performance Standards and local licensing requirements regarding discipline and mental health services. Demonstrates understanding of infant and early childhood mental health consultation practices within the scope of the Head Start Program Performance Standards. Demonstrates knowledge of theories and principles of child growth, development, and early childhood education. Demonstrates familiarity with various Early Childhood Education curriculums, assessment systems, and lesson planning. Experience with Creative Curriculum and Teaching Strategies Gold strongly. Demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with staff, parents/ guardians, and external stakeholders. Valid driver's license, insurance, and a reliable vehicle required.

Job details: 

Compensation: Range is between $70-80k; offers are commensurate with experience. Bilingual candidates may receive additional financial compensation. Benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance, 3+ weeks paid time off in the first year including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day (PTO increases with tenure); 11 paid holidays, supplemental insurance options, 401(k) with match (more benefits details here).  Location: El Hogar Del Niño. Schedule: Full-time, salaried; center hours are 7:30a-5:30p M-F. Student Loan Forgiveness: Brightpoint is an approved agency for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). 

Where you work matters. 

We believe that by building diverse and inclusive teams of passionate advocates for youth and families, we can continue to show up for Illinois families, putting those families at the center of every decision, and strengthening the communities where we all work, play, and live together. (More about who we are here.) 

We invite you to become an active member of a team that supports, inspires, and challenges each other, and grow your career in an organization that celebrates emerging leaders and provides development and learning opportunities aligned with your individual goals and aspirations. If you are looking for an opportunity to do meaningful work, including raising your unique and authentic voice to disrupt the systemic inequality impacting children and families, we encourage you to apply today.   

Click here to review our agency’s Blueprint for Impact.  

Brightpoint is committed to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action. All employment activities are conducted in an equal and equitable fashion. The Agency prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, parental status, veteran status, source of income, and any other legally protected category in the recruitment, selection, hiring, determination of salary level and benefits, promotion, demotion, layoff, termination, and other terms and conditions of employment.