Kirkwood Early Childhood Center is part of the Wu-Yee network of Head Start programs in San Francisco. Located in the heart of Hunter's Point, Kirkwood serves strong, resilient children and families from a diverse set of cultural backgrounds. The youngest child at Kirkwood is around 4 months old, and the oldest children are turning 5. Many Kirkwood families have limited access to resources and past/current trauma exposure. There is also a high percentage of children with disabilities at the site. 60% of one of the toddler classrooms is comprised of children with identified disabilities. Under the previous mental health model, a child had to be diagnosed with a disability in order to receive any type of care, and as we all know, that process can be lengthy and challenging at times.
Now, Seneca has the amazing opportunity to work with a dedicated team and co-design a supportive, tiered approach to early childhood mental health services. Our partners at the Primary School in East Palo Alto connected us with the Kirkwood team to identify areas of growth in culture and climate, tier 2/3 services, coordination of services, and family engagement. After interviewing all staff members through English and Cantonese focus groups, we worked together to create an Annual Implementation Plan. As part of this plan, the team built a menu of socio-emotional services that is geared towards the early childhood population. The Seneca clinician, Aditi Uttarwar (featured in the blog this week!), is currently providing parent workshops, coaching for teachers and Family Advocates, play groups, dyadic groups (parent:child pairs), individual/family therapy, and much more!
As the first early childhood implementation of the UE model, we definitely have our work cut out for us at Kirkwood. We are continuing to refine and adapt the model as we begin providing services on the ground. Luckily, we have a powerhouse team of early childhood educators, psychologists, and school administrators from Seneca, Wu-Yee, The Primary School, and other agencies working behind the scenes. Our hope is that other early childhood programs in the city will notice the powerful changes happening at Kirkwood and adopt similar, tiered approaches to mental health. Are you curious about our UE Munchkins in San Francisco? Reach out to Jonathan Barnett or the amazing Aditi Uttarwar to set up a visit!
Now, Seneca has the amazing opportunity to work with a dedicated team and co-design a supportive, tiered approach to early childhood mental health services. Our partners at the Primary School in East Palo Alto connected us with the Kirkwood team to identify areas of growth in culture and climate, tier 2/3 services, coordination of services, and family engagement. After interviewing all staff members through English and Cantonese focus groups, we worked together to create an Annual Implementation Plan. As part of this plan, the team built a menu of socio-emotional services that is geared towards the early childhood population. The Seneca clinician, Aditi Uttarwar (featured in the blog this week!), is currently providing parent workshops, coaching for teachers and Family Advocates, play groups, dyadic groups (parent:child pairs), individual/family therapy, and much more!
As the first early childhood implementation of the UE model, we definitely have our work cut out for us at Kirkwood. We are continuing to refine and adapt the model as we begin providing services on the ground. Luckily, we have a powerhouse team of early childhood educators, psychologists, and school administrators from Seneca, Wu-Yee, The Primary School, and other agencies working behind the scenes. Our hope is that other early childhood programs in the city will notice the powerful changes happening at Kirkwood and adopt similar, tiered approaches to mental health. Are you curious about our UE Munchkins in San Francisco? Reach out to Jonathan Barnett or the amazing Aditi Uttarwar to set up a visit!
Blog Post Written by: Jonathan Barnett, Director of School Partnerships and Clinical Supervisor
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