Early Step Forward

Early Step Forward (ESF) is a mental health consultation program based on the Pyramid Model that improves childcare program quality and provides assessment and psycho-social support to pre-school children, parents, and childcare center staff to support children’s healthy emotional development.

Our staff train, support, and consult with early childhood professionals, enabling them to manage children who experience social, emotional, or behavioral challenges at home or at school. Early Step Forward includes “Second Step,” a proven national model that emphasizes emotional regulation and social skills development, and violence prevention. Young children identified as struggling with serious behavioral and emotional challenges and their families receive services ranging from office-based child parent psychotherapy to on-site counseling, home visiting, community referrals, and parent-training workshops.

Referrals are also accepted from Family Child Care Providers and parents in the community who may not have their children in a participating childcare program.

Family Child Care Provider Program (FCC)

Based on the ParentChild+ home visiting program, FCC offers twice weekly visits to family child care providers in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle. Childcare providers gain knowledge, skills, and resources to build school readiness with twice weekly visits from an Early Learning Specialist.

Program staff partner with providers to build on their existing strengths by modelling reading, language, and play activities that promote the development of verbal, cognitive, and social-emotional skills critical for children’s long-term success. The childcare programs receive books and toys that are chosen through a racial equity lens, reflecting the diversity of the attending children whenever possible.

The combination of professional training and materials used support providers to have nurturing and responsive relationships in high quality, supportive, learning environments. FCC promotes healthy social emotional development and positive outcomes for children who are cared for by family childcare providers.

Contact: Tally Palefski, LMSW, Assistant Director of Early Step Forward (914) 949-7699 x2423; [email protected]