Addressing Health Equity for Black CYSHCN

​​The National Resource Center for Patient/Family-Centered Medical Home team reviewed several data sources on equity and medical home for non-White children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN.) Through the analysis of this quantitative data, it was found African American and Black CYSHCN are less likely than their White counterparts to receive care through a medical home and within a well-functioning system (one example of several highlighting inequities faced by African American and Black CYSHCN.)

Similarly, from qualitative feedback from African American and Black families of CYSHCN through the virtual roundtable (July 2021) it was highlighted that there is a strong need for more education and training for pediatricians in implementing equitable care. The purpose of this activity is to provide education and training to pediatricians and allied health professionals on how to implement an equitable, culturally responsive, and family-centered medical home for African American and Black CYSHCN.

Read more about the course learning objectives and register:

Addressing Health Equity for Black CYSHCN

Online Course | Available August 4, 2022 - August 3,2025 | Price $0.00

In collaboration with the State Interagency Coordinating Council Personnel and Training Sub-Committee, the ESIT State Leadership Office is pleased to announce the soft roll out of the new ESIT Credential for Family Resources Coordinators (FRCs) beginning in February to introduce and field test the process. A firm roll out for the credential requirements is planned for July 1, following a 90-day communication cycle starting April 1.

Beginning February 1, newly hired Family Resources Coordinators (FRC) will receive an ESIT Credential once they complete all initial training requirements and submit a credential application.

The Initial ESIT FRC Credential Guidance can be found on the ESIT In-Service Training Framework webpage.

Initial ESIT FRC Credential Webinar

Join us for a Q&A Webinar where you can learn more about the ESIT Credential for FRCs!

March 11 | 2 – 3 p.m.

Register for Initial ESIT FRC Credential Webinar

Questions?

Please contact ESIT's Workforce Development Specialist, Lori Holbrook, at  dcyf.ESITtraining@dcyf.wa.gov.

Do you work at a local ESIT Provider Agency and bill public and/or private health insurance for ESIT Services? You are invited to join a newly formed Insurance Billing Support Group!

What is the Insurance Billing Support Group?

This informal peer-to-peer collaborative space will be limited to those who are engaged in billing at the local ESIT program level, meeting the fourth Monday of each month. We hope to connect as peers, exchange ideas, and collaborate to find solutions to common challenge such as:

• What have you found to be the best coding to use for specific services?
• What strategies have worked for following up on denied claims?
• What procedures does your agency have in place to ensure timely filing?

A little about the facilitator

My name is Marsha Smith and I work for Steps, formerly Toddler Learning Center.  We serve Island County, San Juan County and Anacortes.  I have worked here for almost 6 years, and before this my experience came from the financial industry and working in the Island Hospital billing department. My love for numbers and money has helped me be a great advocate for families and staff. I enjoy sharing what I know, and most of all learning from my peers who do the same work. 

Join us this month!

Mon., March 25 | 2 p.m.

Register for Insurance Billing Support Group Series

Questions?

Can’t attend but interested in future events? Have questions? Email Marsha Smith, at Marsha.S@takingstepstogether.org.

Upcoming

Full descriptions of each training including registration information is available in the 23-24 Ongoing Professional Development and Calendar.

• Promoting First Relationships Drop-In Session | March 19
• Promoting First Relationships Booster Session | March 7 & 8
• Introduction to Reflective Supervision for Supervisors | April 2 - 5
• Domestic Violence Assessment and Response | April 4 & 5
• Foundations of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health | April

These Reflective Consultation groups are facilitated by either Carol Good, MSW, LICSW, IMH-E or Kimberlee Shoecraft, MSW, LICSW, SUDP, IMH-E. Participants may count these hours towards Reflective Supervision hours for the Washington Association of Infant Mental Health endorsement. Please email endorsement@wa-aimh.org for more information regarding endorsement requirements.

Exciting news! ESIT has openings in our Reflective Consultation groups offered through the University of Washington. Reflective Consultation is monthly, protected time that gives providers the opportunity to explore their work with families and young children in a safe, supportive space. It offers a time to think about their own needs, and to think about the emotional needs of both parents and children. It also provides an opportunity to hear and learn other perspectives. Participants report feeling increased joy and competence in their work, and increased empathy for the families they work with. Reserve your spot as soon as possible!

Provider Group Openings

• First Tuesday of the month | 4 – 5 p.m.
• First Wednesday of the month | 1 – 2 p.m.
• Second Wednesday of the month | 1 – 2 p.m.
• Third Wednesday of the month | 9 – 10 a.m.
• First Thursday of the month | 3 – 4 p.m.

Reserve Your Spot!

Please contact dcyf.ESITtraining@dcyf.wa.gov. This training opportunity is being offered as part of our State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) and ESIT provider course fees are covered by DCYF/ESIT. These groups are for ESIT providers only.

These drop-in sessions are for ESIT providers only. Providers must have received PFR Level 1, 2, or 3 training to attend.

Join ESIT providers from across Washington State and PFR Trainer Carol Good to discuss embedding the PFR consultation strategies into your everyday coaching practices.

Tues., March 19 | 9:30 – 11 a.m.

Register for March 19 Drop-in Session

Upcoming Drop-in Sessions

• Mon., April 22| 9 – 10:30 a.m.| Register
• Tues., May 21| 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.| Register
• Thurs., June 27| 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.| Register

Check out the new professional development video detailing information about some of the wonderful training opportunities available at no cost for ESIT Service Providers and Professionals! In this video you’ll hear from leadership members from both the University of Washington (UW) and the Washington Association for Infant Mental Health (WA-AIMH) detailing important information about many training opportunities.

This video shares information about:

• Infant Family Relational Health (IFRH) and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) training opportunities
• The benefits of gaining knowledge in these areas, including the WA-AIMH Endorsement and Reflective Consultation
• Where to go for more information

UW PFR and WA-AIMH Professional Development Opportunities (watch time 11:52):

Please click this link to watch the video

For more information or to register for these training opportunities, please visit the 23-24 Ongoing Professional Development and Calendar Document.

Questions? Email dcyf.ESITtraining@dcyf.wa.gov.

DCYF ESIT has funding available for ESIT Service Providers to offer scholarships to assist with covering costs related to WA-AIMH endorsement registration, membership, processing fees, and annual renewal fees. There are limited scholarship opportunities available. Each application is reviewed on an individual basis and applying does not guarantee an award of funds. The Washington Association for Infant Mental Health offers different levels of endorsement credentials and provides recognition of specialized knowledge in professionals working with families and young children. It is an internationally recognized credential and is for anyone who works with families and young children in the fields of early care and education, prevention and early intervention, home visiting, the medical and behavioral health professions, child welfare, mental health, policy and advocacy, research and others. Learn more about the WA-AIMH endorsement here.

Scholarship funds must be accessed by June 30 or applicants will need to re-apply after July 1.

Scholarship Opportunities 

If interested in applying for WA-AIMH endorsement scholarship opportunities:

Complete the scholarship application

Information Sessions

WA-AIMH offers information sessions in order to ask questions, gather details, and gain a better understanding of the endorsement process. To schedule time with the endorsement coordinator or for other endorsement inquiries, please contact endorsement@wa-aimh.org.

WA-AIMH has Spanish support available for applicants going through the endorsement process. Please contact Veronica Rosa at veronica@wa-aimh.org for additional information.

The Washington State Department of Health, Early Hearing Detection, Diagnosis and Intervention (EHDDI) program worked with ESIT, family resources coordinators (FRCs), early support providers, deaf and hard and hard of hearing (DHH) adults, audiologists, and a family-to-family support organization to create three training modules. The training modules provide FRCs and early support providers with information and resources that are helpful when working with children identified as deaf or hard of hearing and their families. The trainings focus on the following topics:

1. Special Providers and Services: Discusses DHH specialized programs and supports, and special considerations when working with children who are DHH with additional disabilities.
2. Knowledge Building: Provides information about diversity in the DHH community, describes hearing levels, and technology options available.
3. Bias Awareness: Provides information about communication opportunities, recognizing biases, and ways to support diverse families.

To access the trainings, please visit the EHDDI WaPortal page:

Early Hearing Detection, Diagnosis and Intervention (EHDDI) Program

Centering Equity in the Work: Three Strategies to Create Change

This training is designed for psychologists, allied professionals, and paraprofessionals within the social services systems (infant mental health, child development, mental health, youth services, foster care, addiction counseling, juvenal justice and more). Through this training, we will explore the skills needed to move equity from being the new buzz word into actions within your relationships with consumers, co-workers, and your social network. Training participants will learn three strategies that can be immediately applied in order to begin centering equity within their service delivery.

The field of mental health often focuses on concerns related to ego development and one's sense of self as an agent in relationships as well as the world around them. We cannot isolate the individual from their social context as impacted by systemic inequity. In the promotion of relational health, school readiness, and a well-resourced community, centering equity builds the foundation for honoring the whole person and celebrating individual differences, as a strength to the collective.

Read more about the training objectives and register here:

Centering Equity in the Work: Three Strategies to Create Change
Tues., March 5 | 8:45 a.m.  - 12:15 p.m. | Tickets: $85

Centering Equity in the Work

Presenter

Barbara Stroud, PhD, ZERO TO THREE Fellow, Author Amazon Best Seller - Intentional Living: Finding the inner peace to create successful relationships, CHANGING THE WORLD - ONE RELATIONSHIP AT A TIME.

Please note that ticket sales will close Fri. March 1.

Join us in learning and celebrating with Dr. Serena Wieder!

This free presentation with DIR® Co-Creator Dr. Serena Wieder will explain the Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-Based Model (DIR®) at a basic level, introducing the key concepts and foundations of this dynamic model and its application to addressing emotional and cognitive development.

Illustrating DIR’s multidisciplinary integration in educational, family, clinical, and research settings, Dr. Wieder provides a broad look at the importance and efficacy of the Model, in a way that no one else can: from the perspective of the Co-Creator. Join us for an unparalleled introduction to DIR®, and learn about all the opportunities that Profectum has to offer you on your DIR® journey.

Thurs., March 7 | 5 - 6:30 p.m. | Live Online via Zoom

Register for Free Today!

This course will be a mixture of video observation of infants, PowerPoint, and discussion to help participants define, observe, and reflect on ways to understand and support the infants who are growing and developing in their care. The course will be held on Zoom. 

March 11 | 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. | $150

Register here

Keys to Infant Caregiving is a research-based program for professionals that provides essential information on newborn and infant behavior. Participants will learn about infants and their captivating ability to interact and engage in relationships with their parents, caregivers, childcare providers and how that impacts the care they receive. Participants will learn about how infants’ internal states influence their behavior and how to help infants regulate.  They will learn how to read the very young infant’s cues and how to foster relationships in the childcare setting that promote the infant’s social, emotional, and cognitive growth while completing routine tasks like feeding and diapering an infant.

The course will be a mixture of video observation of infants, powerpoint, and discussion to help participants define, observe, and reflect on ways to understand and support how infants in their care are growing and developing within the daily interactions they are engaging in.

This course will help you:

• Describe the observable behaviors of the six infant states and how that impacts the care they receive,
• Identify state-related behaviors during routine caregiving activities,
• Demonstrate your knowledge of the infant’s regulatory capabilities through the identification of cues- both engagement and disengagement,
• Identify ways of interacting with infants to support emotion regulation, language, and social development.

Your fee covers tuition and Keys to Infant Caregiving study guide. This training is eligible for 3.75 Professional CEUs and STARS. 

Join Washington Sensory Disabilities Service (WSDS) consultants representing Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) and Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY), with other sensory statewide partners, as they host monthly 1 hour drop-in sessions to share and discuss resources related to ESIT services for children who are blind/low vision, deaf/hard of hearing, or deafblind. Each drop-in session will have a topical focus and will offer opportunities for open questions on any topic. ASL interpretation and Live Captioning will be provided.

March 25 WSDS Drop In Session

Kris Ching (CDHY) and Anna Dodd, from the Early Hearing Detection, Diagnosis, and Intervention (EHDDI) Program, introduce the new EHDDI training modules for ESIT service providers and answer questions about new ESIT Practice Guide on Pathways to Services for Young Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Mon., March 25 | 1 p.m.

Register for March Drop In 

April 22 WSDS Drop-In Session

Kerianne Christie (CDHY) and Jessica Chandler, from WSSB, facilitate a FRC panel discussion and answer questions.

Mon., April 22 | 1 p.m. 

Register for April Drop In

May 13 WSDS Drop-In Session

Kerianne Christie (CDHY) and Jessica Chandler, from WSSB, and Nancy Hatfield, from the DeafBlind (DB) Program, to facilitate a conversation about working effectively with Blind-Low Vision/Deaf and Hard of Hearing/DB Specialist. Bring your questions, comments, and suggestions!

Mon., May 13 | 1 p.m.

Register for May Drop In

Course overview

This course focuses on the development, prevention and treatment of psychological disorder from infancy to adulthood. It weaves together theory, human development, assessment, case examples and treatment applications to reframe maladaptive behavior in terms of strategies for self-protection. The course emphasizes the process of adaptation and developmental pathways that carry risk for psychopathology. The course is aimed at professionals who work with troubled families or individuals, including, psychiatrists, psychologists, lawyers, social workers, teachers and nurses. Read more and register:

May 6 - 8, & 20 - 22 | 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. | via Zoom | $890.00

Register here!

About the Presenter

Patricia Crittenden, PhD is a developmental psychopathologist with many years’ experience as an academic and practitioner in child maltreatment, attachment theory and family therapy. She was taught by Mary Ainsworth and was on the Faculties of Psychology at the Universities of Virginia and Miami. She held visiting positions at the Universities of Helsinki and Bologna, the Clark Institute of Psychiatry (Canada), San Diego State University (USA) and Edith Cowan University (Australia). She developed the Dynamic-Maturational Model (DMM) of Attachment and Adaptation and is one of the founders of the International Association for the Study of Attachment (IASA). In 2004, she received a Career Achievement Award from the European Family Therapy Association. She has published more than 150 scientific papers and several books

Emergency Broadband Benefit Funds Available

The WA Office of Broadband has funds available to assist families with internet costs.  More details on this benefit and how to apply are located here.

Discounted Internet Service Available to Low-Income Households

The federal Affordable Connectivity Program offers eligible households a high-speed internet plan for no more than $30 per month.  More details on this program and how to apply are located here.

Digital Navigation Toolkit Available

Digital Health Navigators are individuals who address the whole digital inclusion process - connectivity, devices, and digital skills - to support community members and provide access to healthcare.  The National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers (NCTRC) has released a new toolkit that provides helpful resource links relating to digital navigation.