Richmond childhood mental health program celebrates 50 years with gala, expansion to Vallejo

The Early Childhood Mental Health Program in Richmond is celebrating its successful past while looking forward to a new opportunity to help more children,

On Oct. 10, the program for young children will mark its 50^th anniversary at a gala dinner at Riggers Loft Wine Company. Five special guests — Don Lau, Kadija Johnston, Lenore Thompson, Dr. Gloria Castro and Dr. Hunter Harris — will be honored for their dedication to mental health and early childhood development. The nonprofit organization will also celebrate its evolution from a single preschool with fewer than 10 students to a wide-ranging agency with eight programs that serve more than 500 families a year.

“It’s a great event for anyone who supports children’s mental health,” said Vanice Robinson, the operations and communications manager for the Early Childhood Mental Health Program (ECMHP).

Expansion into Solano County slated for 2025

ECMHP has been so successful in west Contra Costa County it’s preparing to open a new facility in Vallejo next year.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity,” said Samantha Watson-Alvarado, the director of mental health programs at ECMHP, and the point person on the new Vallejo venture.

The ECMHP was founded  in 1974 when a contingent of parents, teachers, social workers and community activists became concerned about the number of children entering kindergarten who were struggling with behavioral and other issues.

Richmond’s Early Childhood Mental Health Program aims to give children better chance in life.

The grassroots group formed the Comprehensive Therapeutic Nursery School to provide preschool children, as well as their parents and caregivers, with mental health services.

Don Lau, one of the five being honored at the Oct. 10 dinner, was there near the beginning.

Lau, a Hawaii native, had just moved to the Bay Area from Michigan in 1976 when he was hired by the Contra Costa Children’s Council (now CocoKids). The council was a sponsor of the therapeutic nursery school and Lau was tasked with fiscal oversight of the new school.

Lau has been in Richmond ever since, raising his three children here.

He served on the advisory board and board of directors for the newly formed ECMHP until he was hired by the YMCA in 1983. However, he has remained involved with the ECMHP to this day.

Lau said the program’s mission is an important one.

“If we don’t help children, then what kind of society will we have,” he said. “It’s important for children to get off to a good start.”

Lau is also amazed at how ECMHP has grown.

“It’s incredible. From one tiny nursery school to what it is today,” he said.

The ECMHP has indeed grown. Its budget for this fiscal year is $3.5 million. It will top $5 million next year when the Vallejo center opens.

About 85% of the program’s revenue comes from contracts with government and other agencies. Another 10% is from grants and 5% comes from donations.

The agency also has nearly 50 employees.

Most impact is with 3- to 5-year-old children

Families from anywhere in Contra Costa County can receive services, although most of ECMHP’s clientele is in the western part of the county.

ECMHP does work with children up to 8 years of age, but its primary focus is on preschool children. More than 50% of its clients  are 3 to 5 years old.

“This is where we have the most impact,” Robinson said.

The centerpiece of ECMHP remains the Comprehensive Therapeutic Preschool.

The preschool operates from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on weekdays in a small classroom with an outdoor playground at the agency’s headquarters on 24^th Street. The teacher-to-student ratio is 3:1.

Robinson said most of the children are referred to ECMHP by other preschools and programs due to behavioral and other issues in the classroom.

The ECMHP school has a traditional preschool curriculum with teachers also working on the children’s emotional development, relational capacity and social skills. Those skills include playing cooperatively with others, expressing feelings appropriately and following classroom rules.

The school’s 2023-2024 annual report states that 98% of its preschool graduates have remained in mainstream education settings.

Robinson said the overall purpose of the preschool is for its graduates to transition successfully to kindergarten.

“We really focus on them and help them,” she said. “Our goal is to get them where they need to be.”

Jeffrey Sloan, the ECMHP’s executive director, said the mental health of preschoolers is something that is often overlooked.

He said parents, teachers and caregivers sometimes feel that a child will simply outgrow behavioral and other issues.

“This is an under-recognized and under-served aspect of mental health,” he said.

Sloan said it’s important to tackle mental health issues early in a child’s life. Those issues can manifest due to a number of sources from inherited conditions to traumatic events to an unstable home life from a divorce or other incidents.

“Young kids absorb and take in much more than you might imagine,” he said.

Focus on parents as well as children

Another focus of ECMHP programs are the parents.

“The parent-child relationship is everything,” said Sloan.

In fact, one of the most utilized programs at the ECMHP is Child and Family Therapy services.

In this program, therapists support caregivers to “reduce their stress and learn how to support and better understand their children,” according to the organization’s website.

The sessions with the parent and child are designed to help the adult feel more comfortable in caring for their child as well as helping the child learn to express themselves in safe ways.

Other ECMHP programs include their Perinatal Circle of Care, where a support team provides care for pregnant women and newborns in Contra Costa County, and Keeping Families Together, where strong family ties are promoted through support groups, parenting workshops and family engagement activities.

Now, ECMHP is taking its successful programs to Vallejo.

Watson-Alvarado said they were contacted by mental health officials in Solano County asking about the possibility of setting up a second campus there to help provide services for children up to 5 years of age and their families.

ECMHP has a three-year contract with Solano County Behavioral Health Services. The first year’s budget is $450,000. It will eventually increase to $1.2 million.

The program will start with just a preschool. Two therapists will initially be on staff with plans to expand the team to six therapists by the end of the third year.

“We hope to have an impact,” said Watson-Alvarado. “We hope we will reach more families.”