Rising rates of mental and behavioral health conditions among young children are straining the capacity of child care providers and families to meet children’s developmental needs. Early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) equips child care providers with tools to nurture children’s social and emotional well-being and strengthen provider-family relationships. This brief examines Colorado providers’ reflections on how consultation influences communication and collaboration with families, offering insights into how ECMHC strengthens partnerships that support positive outcomes for children, families, and the early childhood workforce.

Why This Matters

Child care providers and families share responsibility for supporting children’s emotional development, yet both face increasing challenges amid rising behavioral health needs. Strengthening these partnerships can reduce conflict, increase caregiving consistency, and improve child outcomes. Findings from Colorado demonstrate that ECMHC not only benefits children and educators but also fosters family engagement, a critical but often overlooked goal. As such, family engagement should be recognized as a key mediator—and outcome—of effective mental health consultation in early childhood settings.

What We Found

Providers across Colorado reported that ECMHC strengthened communication and collaboration with families. The following three key pathways emerged:

• Consultants coordinated and facilitated communication with families. Consultants often participated in challenging conversations about children’s behavior, providing a neutral, informed perspective that brought calm and credibility. Their involvement also helped repair strained relationships and foster mutual understanding between families and providers.
• Consultants coached educators on engaging families. Through reflective discussions and modeling, consultants helped educators communicate with empathy and confidence. They encouraged providers to view families as partners and consider home environments when addressing classroom behavior, leading to more compassionate, family-centered practices.
• Consultants provided direct support to families. Some consultants worked directly with families—offering resources, handouts, and home strategies, and helping them access evaluations or referrals. Even when providers were not directly involved, they observed improved engagement as families felt supported by a coordinated caregiving team.

These findings underscore ECMHC’s important role in bridging home and school environments. By facilitating positive communication, coaching educators and supporting families directly, consultants help build stronger relationships between school and home. These relationships are critical for aligning caregiving approaches, reducing provider-family conflict, and ultimately supporting children’s emotional and behavioral development.

How We Did It

Between February and June 2025, the Urban Institute conducted 24 virtual focus groups with 52 Colorado child care providers who had received mental health consultation within the past year. Participants included center directors; teachers; home-based providers; and family, friend, and neighbor caregivers from 17 counties. Discussions explored how consultation influenced provider-family relationships and communication. Thematic analysis identified key pathways through which ECMHC enhanced collaboration, trust, and alignment between providers and families.