Mental Health Manager at Head Start

ESC group; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 60,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Hamilton County ESC Head Start in Cincinnati, Ohio seeks a Mental Health Manager to deliver early childhood mental health consultation to children, families, and staff. Responsibilities include classroom consultation, parent meetings, home visits, training, and coordinating referrals with community agencies to support Head Start standards.

The role covers data management, compliance with Head Start standards, and collaboration with multiple teams to promote student well-being and family

Qualifications

• Minimum requirement of a 4-year degree in social work, child and family studies, psychology, or related mental health degree and appropriate licensure or certification; master's degree with licensure is highly desired.
• Demonstrated knowledge of early childhood mental health, child mental health community resources, working with families in poverty, working with diverse populations, and the impacts of early childhood trauma.
• Experience formulating and writing assessments and supports plans for young children and their families.
• Willingness to embrace the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support model, and understand the tiered level of supports needed to implement the model throughout all classrooms.
• Sound understanding of universal design of early childhood classrooms.
• Ability to interact with and manage physically active young children, including sitting on the floor, providing physical assistance, guiding, pursuing, and withstanding sudden movements.
• Knowledge of the Child Find requirement for LEAs under IDEA desired.

Responsibilities

• 1. General Classroom Observations, Consultation, and Coaching: Schedule classroom observation and consultation visits at a frequency based upon the needs of the classroom and program, or as assigned by supervisor or designee.
• 2. General Classroom Observations, Consultation, and Coaching: Facilitate knowledge and understanding of the relationship between child development, social-emotional development, and mental health.
• 3. General Classroom Observations, Consultation, and Coaching: Provide guidance and model developmentally appropriate activities for children and effective ways to work with and support young children.
• 4. General Classroom Observations, Consultation, and Coaching: Provide written and oral observations and strengths-based feedback to staff after each visit.
• 5. General Classroom Observations, Consultation, and Coaching: Assist and support the implementation of the Positive Behavior Support model into the Head Start classrooms.
• 2. Individualized Child- and Family-Centered Screening, Observations and Consultation: Conduct informal, play-based observations and review developmental, behavioral, and social-emotional screenings as assigned by supervisor or designee.
• 3. Individualized Child- and Family-Centered Screening, Observations and Consultation: Conduct developmental, behavioral, and/or social emotional assessments as assigned.
• 4. Individualized Child- and Family-Centered Screening, Observations and Consultation: Build family and child self-esteem by drawing on cultural strengths to influence child rearing skills and foster positive family interactions.
• 5. Individualized Child- and Family-Centered Screening, Observations and Consultation: Meet with classroom team to review observations and, if needed, facilitate the development and implementation of classroom strategies to support children.
• 6. Individualized Child- and Family-Centered Screening, Observations and Consultation: Manage and support child transitions between classrooms and programs, when applicable.
• 7. Individualized Child- and Family-Centered Screening, Observations and Consultation: Meet with families of referred children to consult on the child and family mental health wellness and create or follow-up on individualized plans to support these needs in coordination with the assigned Head Start Family Support Worker and/or other classroom team members.
• 8. Individualized Child- and Family-Centered Screening, Observations and Consultation: Work with the parent and team to determine appropriate child and family referrals to community services and/or school districts, as needed.
• 9. Individualized Child- and Family-Centered Screening, Observations and Consultation: Maintain a file system to manage referrals made, in process, follow-up needed, and completed.
• 10. Individualized Child- and Family-Centered Screening, Observations and Consultation: Maintain confidential records and enter mental health data in Child Plus.
• 3. Home Visiting: Conduct home visits to support the mental health wellness of the families and children.
• 4. Staff Training: Support, coordinate, and provide staff training related to social-emotional and mental health issues through formal trainings, team meetings, written communications, and ad hoc conversations.
• 5. Staff Training: Supervise and support social work students in field placement by provide training related to child development, interventions, and the work culture within the field of social work.
• 6. Parent Training: Increase parent awareness of social-emotional development, early childhood mental health, and community resources.
• 7. Parent Training: Coordinate, facilitate, and/or assist with parent events, including recruitment.
• 8. Other: Active participation in multidisciplinary team meetings for assigned classroom teams and additional classrooms as assigned by supervisor, to discuss child and family strengths and needs and develop supports.
• 9. Other: Enter educational, disability, and mental health data in Child Plus for assigned team meetings.
• 10. Other: Assist in the development and implementation of mental health program and policies and procedures.
• 11. Other: Builds and supports relationships with community mental health professionals, including resources within the school districts.
• 12. Other: Participate in regularly scheduled Mental Health Staff meetings and manager meetings
• 13. Other: Support the recruitment of children into Early Head Start and Head Start.
• 14. Other: Contribute to federal, state, and local reporting requirements.

Skills

Early childhood mental health

Community resources

Diversity & poverty awareness

Trauma impact understanding

Assessments & support plans

Positive Behavior Support

Universal design

Handling active children

IDEA Child Find

Education

4-year degree in social work, child and family studies, psychology, or related mental health degree

Job description

Mental Health Manager at Head Start

Hamilton County ESC Hamilton County Head Start - Cincinnati, Ohio Open in Google Maps

This job is also posted in Ohio Education Job Board: Ohio's resource for jobs in education

Job Details

Job ID: 5945570
Application Deadline: Posted until filled
Posted: Sep 30, 2026 3:22 PM (UTC)

Job Description

Position Opening Announcement

Mental Health Manager at Head Start

Full Time

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum requirement of a 4-year degree in social work, child and family studies, psychology, or related mental health degree and appropriate licensure or certification; master's degree with licensure is highly desired.


• Demonstrated knowledge of early childhood mental health, child mental health community resources, working with families in poverty, working with diverse populations, and the impacts of early childhood trauma.


• Experience formulating and writing assessments and supports plans for young children and their families.


• Willingness to embrace the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support model, and understand the tiered level of supports needed to implement the model throughout all classrooms


• Sound understanding of universal design of early childhood classrooms.


• Ability to interact with and manage physically active young children, including sitting on the floor, providing physical assistance, guiding, pursuing, and withstanding sudden movements.


• Knowledge of the Child Find requirement for LEAs under IDEA desired.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Early Childhood Mental Health Manager is responsible for providing early childhood mental health consultation to Head Start/Early Head Start children, families, and staff. The Mental Health Manager will provide a broad range of services, including consultation in classrooms, parent meetings and home visits; training and coaching; review and follow up on mental health and developmental screening and assessments; assist with referrals to school districts and manage referrals to appropriate community mental health agencies; manage the coordination of mental health services with outside agencies serving children and families involved with Head Start/Early Head Start; promotion and marketing of group services; and providing parent trainings. The Mental Health Manager will also collect data, maintain records, and support compliance in all facets of Head Start Performance Standards and state regulations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. General Classroom Observations, Consultation, and Coaching

• Schedule classroom observation and consultation visits at a frequency based upon the needs of the classroom and program, or as assigned by supervisor or designee.


• Facilitate knowledge and understanding of the relationship between child development, social-emotional development, and mental health.


• Provide guidance and model developmentally appropriate activities for children and effective ways to work with and support young children.


• Provide written and oral observations and strengths-based feedback to staff after each visit.


• Assist and support the implementation of the Positive Behavior Support model into the Head Start classrooms.

2. Individualized Child- and Family-Centered Screening, Observations and Consultation

• Conduct informal, play-based observations and review developmental, behavioral, and social-emotional screenings as assigned by supervisor or designee.


• Conduct developmental, behavioral, and/or social emotional assessments as assigned.


• Build family and child self-esteem by drawing on cultural strengths to influence child rearing skills and foster positive family interactions.


• Meet with classroom team to review observations and, if needed, facilitate the development and implementation of classroom strategies to support children.


• Manage and support child transitions between classrooms and programs, when applicable.


• Meet with families of referred children to consult on the child and family mental health wellness and create or follow-up on individualized plans to support these needs in coordination with the assigned Head Start Family Support Worker and/or other classroom team members.


• Work with the parent and team to determine appropriate child and family referrals to community services and/or school districts, as needed.


• Maintain a file system to manage referrals made, in process, follow-up needed, and completed.


• Maintain confidential records and enter mental health data in Child Plus.

3. Home Visiting

• Conduct home visits to support the mental health wellness of the families and children.


• Provide guidance and model developmentally appropriate activities for children and effective ways to work with and support young children.


• Maintain confidential documentation of home visit notes, referrals, and goals; enter appropriate mental health data in Child Plus.

4. Staff Training

• Support, coordinate, and provide staff training related to social-emotional and mental health issues through formal trainings, team meetings, written communications, and ad hoc conversations.


• Supervise and support social work students in field placement by provide training related to child development, interventions, and the work culture within the field of social work.

5. Parent Training

• Increase parent awareness of social-emotional development, early childhood mental health, and community resources.


• Coordinate, facilitate, and/or assist with parent events, including recruitment.

6. Other

• Active participation in multidisciplinary team meetings for assigned classroom teams and additional classrooms as assigned by supervisor, to discuss child and family strengths and needs and develop supports.


• Enter educational, disability, and mental health data in Child Plus for assigned team meetings.


• Assist in the development and implementation of mental health program and policies and procedures.


• Builds and supports relationships with community mental health professionals, including resources within the school districts.


• Participate in regularly scheduled Mental Health Staff meetings and manager meetings


• Support the recruitment of children into Early Head Start and Head Start.


• Contribute to federal, state, and local reporting requirements.

OTHER PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Travel to various locations within and around Hamilton County, including but not limited to, Head Start Classrooms, home visits, community agencies, and trainings, as needed.


• Maintain personal professional development.


• Adhere to professional ethics, boundaries, and confidentiality.


• Other duties as assigned by supervisor or designee.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND ADA STATEMENT:
The Hamilton County Educational Service Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer and endeavors to provide the highest quality service through employing professionals selected for their competence and expertise. The Governing Board of Hamilton County Educational Service Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, age, religion, military status, ancestry, genetic information (collectively, \"Protected Classes\", or any other legally protected category, in its programs and activities, including employment opportunities.

Position Type: Full-time

Job Categories:

Administration > Director/Coordinator/Manager

Classroom Teacher > Health