Childcare: mental health consultation services

The law shifts the required assessment approach from twice-yearly setting assessments and child screenings to observation tools that guide tailored consultant support. Child adverse-experience screenings remain optional and require parent or guardian consent.

What the law does ​

• Requires reimbursable consultation services to use a relationship-based, reflective-practice model with documented consultation activities.
• Requires an observation tool at least once each school or program year in every participating preschool classroom, childcare setting, or family childcare home education network setting.
• Requires observation tools to measure the environment, social-emotional learning climate, and teacher-child interactions, and use the results to guide consultant activities and support.
• Allows parent- or guardian-consented screening for adverse childhood experiences but no longer makes it a required reimbursement condition.
• Directs interim implementation guidance or instructions while regulations are pending.

Who it affects ​

• California State Preschool Program agencies and general childcare and development program provider agencies seeking reimbursement for mental health consultation services.
• Infants, toddlers, preschool children, family childcare home education network participants, their families, and early-childhood educators.
• Early-childhood mental health consultants and their supervisors.