PEP Launches New Early Childhood Service
PEP is pleased to announce the launch of a new service known as Child Care Resource and Referral Collaborative under its PEP Early Childhood Plus program. This service is part of a statewide initiative funded by an Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services grant to support the work of Child Care Resource and Referral agencies, often referred to as CCR&Rs. These agencies assist parents and child care providers with accessing services that benefit young children.
The Project
The goal of the project is to promote adult and child resilience and wellness and strengthen the capacity of CCR&R staff to respond to the challenges of providers, caregivers and children. PEP consultants and CCR&Rs work together to determine the type of support that will best meet their needs.
Funding is granted on an annual basis and PEP will be eligible to reapply each year. PEP’s grant will support child care resource and referral agencies in nine northeast Ohio counties:
- Ashtabula
- Cuyahoga
- Erie
- Geauga
- Huron
- Lake
- Lorain
- Sandusky
- Seneca
Each child care resource and referral agency in these regions will have access to a PEP Early Childhood Plus consultant, each of whom have extensive experience and knowledge in social emotional development, child development, trauma and mental health.
Iselin Dimacchia and Arnell Scott, who are new to PEP, join Kyra Hall, who had previously been with PEP Assist, to provide this service. Dimacchia and Scott cover Lorain, Erie Huron, Sandusky and Seneca counties, while Hall will work with CCR&Rs in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Lake counties. Dimacchia, Hall and Scott all have extensive experience in early childhood and mental health, which they will tap into to provide individualized, strategic support to each CCR&R.
Support Provided by PEP
There are numerous ways PEP’s consultants will work with CCR&Rs to promote adult and child resilience and to increase their capacity to address challenges, including:
Agency Level
- Providing training and professional development to promote agency goals.
- Gathering data and reporting it to the state to encourage data-driven decision making.
- Attending staff meetings to provide a mental health perspective.
CCR&R Staff Level
- Offering office hours to consult on challenging cases.
- Meeting with staff individually or in groups to foster use of mental health resources.
- Researching best-practices in response to specific challenges.
CCR&R Partner Provider and Family Level
- Accompany CCR&R staff to sessions with partner providers or families to conduct observation and assessment.
- Develop a focused plan in collaboration with CCR&R staff regarding specific partner provider or caregivers/children.
- Provide short-term consultation and coaching specific to the partner provider or caregiver/family.
Learn More
To learn more about Positive Education Program, its new early childhood service or its other programs and services, visit our website. Learn more about PEP Early Childhood Plus here.