Early Childhood Behavior

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INFLUENCE OF BEHAVIORAL CONCERNS AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EXPULSIONS
ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATION
IN COLORADO
SARAH D. HOOVER

University of Colorado School of Medicine
LORRAINE F. KUBICEK

University of Colorado School of Medicine and Aurora Research Institute
CORDELIA ROBINSON ROSENBERG

University of Colorado School of Medicine
CLAUDIA ZUNDEL

Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health
STEVEN A. ROSENBERG

University of Colorado School of Medicine
ABSTRACT: This article examines how the Colorado study Children With Social, Emotional and Behavioral Concerns and the Providers Who Support
Them (S.D. Hoover, 2006) was used to advance a statewide agenda for early childhood
This lack of data was highlighted as a major concern and a significant barrier to promoting sound public policy and implementing programs that appropriately and effectively supported children, their parents, and their providers.
In an effort to build on earlier efforts, and reflecting Colorado’s commitment to early childhood social, emotional, and behavioral health, the Colorado Department of Human Services

Additional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article. The original study was supported by funding from the Colorado Division of Child Care. Direct correspondence to: Sarah D. Hoover, JFK Partners,
University of Colorado School of Medicine, 13121 E. 17th Avenue, C234,
P.O. Box 6511, Aurora, CO 80045; e-mail: [e-mail].
INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Vol. 33(3), 246–255 (2012)
C 2012 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health
View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com.
DOI: 10.1002/imhj.21334

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Influence of Behavioral Concerns

was successful in obtaining a number of federal grants and opportunities. The first was The Policy Academy on Developing
Staff Response to Challenging Behaviors and Staff Well-Being

over the past 12 months had decreased, 42% indicated that it had stayed the same, and 23% indicated that the severity had increased. The corresponding percentages for Child Care Centers were 25, 43, and 26%, respectively. For Family Child Care
Homes, the corresponding percentages were 32, 41, and 21%, respectively. Removals from Centers and Family Child Care Homes

Rates of removal were calculated based on the number of children under 6 years of age in the programs of providers who responded.
Directors were asked to report on all early care and education programs that they administered, which may include multiple classrooms or programs. Removal rates are reported based on a rate per
1,000.
Overall, providers reported that 453 of the 45,965 children under 6 years in their care (10 per 1,000 of the reported 0–6 enrollment) had been removed from their setting during the