CONTRACT Young Child Mental Health Specialist

Contract Rate: $42 an hour  
Contract hours continue through 3/31/27 are anticipated to be 20 hours a week.

MISSION: Warren Village is a Colorado non-profit serving unhoused and unstably housed low-income single-parent families in the Denver area. Our two-generation approach provides opportunities and comprehensive resources to empower families to change their life trajectories. This holistic approach includes three main components around safe and affordable housing, parent services and advocacy, and early childhood education.

Warren Village recognizes that our backgrounds are broad, and our talents are many, from different lived experiences.  We value and leverage our differences to encompass and reflect the communities we serve.  We align our policies, practices, and resources so that people of all races, cultures, identities, and socioeconomic status may feel valued and respected. 

CONTRACT OPPORTUNITY SUMMARY: Warren Village is looking for a part-time Young Child Mental Health Specialist contractor to work with our committed staff and families within our Alameda Early Learning Center. We anticipate the work covering classroom consultations and observations, working directly with teachers, individual meetings with families after hours, to other educational needs as listed below. Schedule will vary given the diverse responsibilities, but hours will be 20 hours per week and will include late hours at least one night per week.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS and DELIVERABLES (Gilpin Location):  

1. Provide consultation to Early Learning Center staff regarding individual children, including providing guidance about challenging behaviors.   

1. Contractor will be available to meet with staff and parents to assess and understand the individual needs of the child and work with the team to develop developmentally and culturally appropriate interventions.  

1. Maintains a caseload of 3-5 clients, holding weekly therapy sessions with children and their caregiver(s).  

1. Observe children in their childcare setting to assess functioning, relationships with caregivers and other children.  

1. Meet with families to complete assessments, provide developmental guidance and referrals, with linkage to clinical services. Actively assist families in referral process.  

1. Observe and meet with classroom staff to address classroom-level concerns that impact quality of care, as requested, i.e. daily routines, classroom transitions, social emotional literacy, SEL curriculum usage, and staff/child relationships.  

1. Meet regularly with the director to address programmatic concerns that affect the quality of care provided to the children.  

1. Provide psycho-education and support to families/caregivers.  

1. Provide trainings to center staff and parents on social / emotional topics.  

1. Maintain accurate and timely documentation in adherence with program expectations and accountability requirements.  

1. Participate in team meetings, in-services, and supervision as needed.  

EDUCATION: Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology or PhD, PsyD required. Current License in Colorado as an LCSW, LPC or LMFT heavily preferred.

EXPERIENCE: Minimum of two years of experience working with children ages birth to 5 in a Mental health capacity necessary, and with their adult caregivers. Bilingual English/Spanish highly preferred.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:

1. Ability to create strong relationships with adults and children with an understanding of, and respect for, culture and diversity.

1. Knowledge of early development, infant/preschool mental health theory and infant/ preschool mental health interventions and trauma informed care.

1. Work experience in group-settings for children.

1. Experience with assessment of young children's social and emotional functioning.

1. Experience with and/or knowledge of group dynamics and intervention with adults.

1. Knowledge and understanding of trauma-informed care principles/practices.

CONTRACT HOURLY RATE: $42 per hour, grant-funded dollars. Position guaranteed through 3/31/27 with potential renewal.

CONTRACT RELATIONSHIP: Position is an independent contractor, and is not intended to create a partnership, agency, joint venture or employment relationship. The Contractor is not entitled to any employee benefits and reserves the right to do similar contract work for other businesses or organizations. Contractors are responsible for all tax-related items and will receive an annual Form 1099-NEC, as the Organization will not withhold and social security, federal, state, or any other employee payroll taxes.

TO APPLY:  Interested candidates apply at https://warrenvillage.org/about-us/#careers. This position will be posted until the latter of August 28, 2026, or until a qualified candidate is hired.