Early Childhood Focused Consultation in School Psychology: Examining Current Practice, Identifying Future Opportunities

ABSTRACT

Enrollment in early childhood education has significantly increased over time. Due to the intersection of training that school psychologists possess (e.g., consultative, educational, mental health) and their presence within early education settings, there is great opportunity for scholarship that explores how school psychologists support young children. This special issue offers a compendium of scholarly work reflecting the contemporary role of school psychologists using consultation to provide a broader range of supports in early childhood settings. The introduction outlines the need for consultative approaches when working in early childhood settings and provides a brief overview of each article featured in the special issue. It is our hope that this special issue is a critical next step in the implementation of a comprehensive service delivery model in early childhood settings where consultative approaches are the primary mechanism used to support the educational short-term and long-term needs of young children and their families.

Early childhood is recognized as an important time for intervention and support with lifelong impacts. More specifically, early childhood defined as birth to five years of age (Zero to Three, 2016), is a critical learning period for all children and is reflected in the increasing number of young children participating in early childhood education programs (Friedman-Krauss et al., 2022). Although enrollment numbers declined in 2021 for the first time in 20 years due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (Friedman-Krauss et al., 2022), approximately 1.3 million 3- and 4-year-old children participate in state-funded preschool/prekindergarten programs representing a 20% increase in enrollment over the last 16 years (Friedman-Krauss et al., 2019).

Providing support in early childhood allows for proactivity in young children’s development, which helps to mitigate later challenges (Farrell & Travers, 2005). School psychologists, many of whom work in early childhood settings (National Association of School Psychologists, 2015), have the potential to contribute to positive outcomes for young children. For example, the services provided by school psychologists are wide ranging and may include assessment and intervention through work with children, families, educators, other related professionals, and community members. Furthermore, school psychologists working in early childhood should engage in consultative approaches to support school readiness (Albritton et al., 2016, 2021; Hojnoski & Missall, 2006), and social emotional development (e.g., reducing challenging behaviors; Albritton et al., 2019a). Indeed, working with young children frequently means working with the adults in their care network (e.g., parent, guardian, teacher), which often requires a consultative mechanism for effective change, particularly during the intervention planning and implementation process.

Extant research suggests that school psychologists working in early childhood settings tend to be limited to an assessment role (Albritton et al., 2019b). While assessment activities are integral to ensuring young children receive the educational supports they need, an assessment only role is inconsistent with continued calls by scholars (e.g., Albritton et al., 2016, 2021, 2019b; Hojnoski & Missall, 2006; Kelly-Vance, 2018) and national organizations (e.g., NASP) urging practitioners to engage in broad practice roles that include prevention, early intervention, and systems-level change (National Association of School Psychologists, 2020). While scholarship pertaining to early childhood-focused consultation is present within the developmental and clinical literature, extensive literature examining consultative service delivery models by school psychologists in early childhood settings is largely missing. Furthermore, a review of the literature indicates an increasing focus on early childhood mental health consultation, however, results reveal significant disparities. Specifically, there are inequities in access to mental health consultation for young Black children (Albritton et al., 2019a), which is troubling since young Black children are disproportionately impacted by exclusionary discipline practices.

Due to the intersection of training that school psychologists possess (e.g., consultative, educational, mental health) and their presence within early education settings, there is great opportunity for scholarship that explores how school psychologists support young children. Articles in recent issues of Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation (JEPC) have examined consultation-based topics impacting early childhood populations (e.g., Albritton et al., 2019a; Donovan et al., 2015; Friesen et al., 2014); however, additional focus is needed to emphasize the critical role of consultative services when working with young children. Accordingly, this special issue offers a compendium of scholarly work reflecting the contemporary role of school psychologists using consultation to provide a broader range of supports in early childhood settings. Articles within this special issue center around the use of consultative mechanisms to support early childhood professionals as they improve young children’s acquisition of academic and/or social-emotional skills, and consultative mechanisms for school psychology graduate training when working in early childhood environments. The empirical and conceptual articles in this special issue expand upon underexplored areas of inquiry regarding early childhood consultation and put forth clearly indicated future research directions.

First, Steed and Kranski (this issue) begin the special issue by highlighting the pervasiveness of racism in early childhood settings while also discussing the critical need for culturally responsive early childhood consultation services. This discussion underscores the importance of school psychologists first examining their own cultural competence prior to engaging in culturally responsive consultation with early childhood professionals. Steed and Kranski conclude by offering specific early childhood teacher competencies that are helpful to address when providing culturally responsive consultation. Second, Stoiber and colleagues (this issue) examine the effectiveness of a consultative coaching model utilizing the PEBBLE – Positive Environment and Behavior (PEB) for Building Learning and Engagement (BLE) framework. Implementation of the consultative coaching model occurred in 15 early childhood classrooms with young children experiencing low-income and economic marginalization. The exploratory results suggest that PEBBLE consultative coaching is a viable method to improve class wide positive support strategies in early childhood classrooms.

Erdy and colleagues (this issue) transition the discussion from a classroom-based consultative coaching model to systems-level behavioral consultation. Specifically, they examine how two school psychologists engaged in systems-level behavioral consultation to improve the implementation of program-wide positive behavior support across multiple classrooms within one early childhood program. Next, Edge et al. (this issue) tackle the important issue of early childhood expulsion for children with externalizing behavior with a study focused on a statewide teacher consultation program that was successful in both reducing behavior concerns and expulsion risk, finding a relationship between teacher engagement in the consultation process and improvements in child outcomes. In the subsequent article, LaForett et al. (this issue) build on the benefits of early childhood consultation through an exploration of training school and clinical psychology graduate students in early childhood mental health consultation. In particular, the manuscript offers a potential pathway to increase equitable service provision for young children and their families via enhanced graduate training in early childhood mental health competencies. Finally, Miranda and colleagues (this issue) describe a partnership between a Head Start agency and a school psychology graduate program to offer consultation services over nearly three decades. The article illustrates how service delivery was organized, including potential implications, which provides a framework for future similar program development.

The articles provide a small glimpse into the many ways that school psychologists can engage in consultative service delivery when working with educators and families to support young children’s social-emotional development and overall readiness for participation in formal schooling (e.g., K-12 settings). The articles in this special issue offer tremendous insight into the numerous benefits of early childhood focused consultation as well as possible areas for continued growth through graduate education and preparation and innovative programming. Unfortunately, realizing these benefits and opportunities will require a significant shift from the current status quo when considering our work with early childhood populations. It is our hope that this special issue is a critical next step in the implementation of a comprehensive service delivery model in early childhood settings where consultative approaches are the primary mechanism used to support the educational short-term and long-term needs of young children and their families.

Disclosure statement

We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kizzy Albritton

Kizzy Albritton is an Associate Professor of School Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. She earned her PhD in School Psychology from Georgia State University. She also holds a Master of Education degree in Behavior and Learning Disabilities from Georgia State University. Her primary line of research inquiry examines ways to improve academic and social-emotional outcomes for racial and ethnic minority children in early childhood settings. Her research seeks to addresses these challenges through the implementation of academic and social-emotional interventions, the effective implementation of multi-tiered frameworks in early childhood settings and expanding the role of school psychologists who provide services in early childhood settings.

Rachel Stein

Rachel Stein is a Clinical Assistant Professor of School Psychology at the University of Colorado Denver. She earned her PhD in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara. Following her doctoral work, she completed the Harris Fellowship in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health at the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus. Her scholarly work focuses on supporting young children’s’ social and emotional development and exploring school psychologist’s role in working with young children.