Strategies for Identifying and Engaging Key Team Members

Ideally, the mental health work group should comprise a variety of individuals who are involved with your program’s MHC services, including teachers, families, community partners, and consultants. Mental health work groups should include staff who:

• Represent a variety of roles across your program
• Are responsible for MHC, social and emotional development, and staff wellness
• Represent all your program sites
• Reflect the backgrounds of the families you serve
• Work in home- and center-based components of your program
• Work in specific programs within your agency (e.g., Head Start Preschool, Early Head Start, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start)

You can also include:

• Families of children who have received mental health and MHC services at Head Start programs
• Key community partners who play an important role in providing early childhood and family mental health services in your community, such as a mental health provider or a peer navigator for families

As in all Head Start governance, family members have a key role to play in the mental health work group. Because family involvement is central to the Head Start mission, it is very important to include families whose children experience social and emotional or behavioral challenges, or other mental health issues. Involving family members in policy-level work requires careful planning about how to support families so they can contribute.

Last Updated: August 6, 2025