Early Childhood Intervention Prevention Services (ECLIPSE)

What is Early Childhood Intervention Prevention Services (ECLIPSE)?

ECLIPSE services are trauma-informed, center-based, intervention and treatment services for families and their young children age Birth to 5 who have experienced substantial stress and/or complex trauma. ECLIPSE services include therapeutic interventions at the child, family, and teacher/classroom environmental levels provided by a licensed mental health professional who has Infant Mental Health (IMH) knowledge, skills, and experience. These services are available to young children and families who interact with multiple systems, including the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) child welfare. Children and families that have or are interacting with the DCYF child welfare system are categorically eligible for ECLIPSE services through their enrollment in the Early ECEAP/ECEAP program.

"Since my child started, he has been less aggressive and using skills at home. I love seeing my son get excited for school each day."

- Parent who received ECLIPSE services

ECLIPSE services are layered with B-5 ECEAP programming. ECEAP programming covers classroom staffing, resources and comprehensive services that support the whole child. This ensures that all children receiving ECLIPSE services are ensured a high-quality classroom setting supports. Where ECEAP services end, ECLIPSE services begin. For example, ECLIPSE Mental Health Professionals work closely and in collaboration with contractor’s Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant (IECMHC) to provide developmentally and culturally appropriate mental health intervention training to ECEAP staff. The intention is to support staff, children, and families, while also growing staff skills in managing child behaviors that are challenging for them.

In REDEFINING QUALITY: Providing Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Support to Fully Meet the Diverse Needs of Families, the Perigee Fund points out that “All Infant Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) supports across the continuum pf promotion, prevention, and treatment are grounded in relationship-based practices that incorporate a focus on the dyadic relationship between the parent/primary caregiver and child. These practices are based on the science of early attachment and the research supporting the notion that all children develop and thrive within the context of the adult-child relationship.”

Perigee Fund offers definitions of promotion, prevention, and treatment. They define the different levels of care as :

  • Promotion - services are universal and focused on distributing information and resources to support strong child-caregiver relationships, healthy development, and early learning.
  • Prevention - services identify and reduce conditions that lead to disruption in social-emotional well-being and strengthen the capacities of young children and their families.
  • Treatment - services are targeted levels of interventions and designed to alleviate distress and facilitate healthy development and behavior for young children and families who are experiencing trauma and other mental health challenges.

ECLIPSE Programming and Larger Infant Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Systems Work

ECLIPSE is part of the IECMH system work. This work includes services that fall into the following categories. Some examples include:

  • Promotion: Home Visiting, Early ECEAP, Early Head Start, ESIT, ECEAP, Infant Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Consultation, and other Early Care and Education Programming
  • Prevention: Home Visiting, Early ECEAP, Early Head Start, ECEAP, ESIT, IECMH Consultation, and other Early Care and Education Programming
  • Treatment: ECLIPSE, ESIT, Early Childhood Special Education, and mental health services that are age and stage appropriate for the family and child’s development, wants, interests, language, and culture

Who Does ECLIPSE Serve?

Families with children age Birth to 5 who interface with multiple systems, referred by the Department, and have experienced Biological, Familial, and/or Environmental Risk Factors

ECLIPSE Eligibility

  • Families with children age Birth to 5 years old that are experiencing the highest level of risk factors and extreme stress. 
  • Families working with DCYF-Child Welfare/CPS Social Workers or ICW Child Welfare workers (from voluntary to child removal) and referred to Early ECEAP or ECEAP by Child Welfare Early Learning Navigators (CWELN).

Referral Pathways

DCYF Child Welfare Early Learning Navigators (CWELNs), DCYF/ICW social workers, primary care physicians, public health nurses, Economic Services Administration (ESA) social workers, Early Learning providers, families, and community members may refer children to Early ECEAP/ECEAP to receive ECLIPSE services. 

ECLIPSE Services Include

  • Social Emotional/Behavioral Screening
  • Biopsychosocial Assessment
    • Based on an identified need from the social emotional/behavioral screening. A comprehensive assessment that evaluates the developmental areas of parent-child relationship, psychosocial stressors, and strengths.
  • Individual Care Plan (ICP) developed by parent(s)/ primary caregiver(s), Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Professional, and allied professionals at the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meeting.
  • Enrollment in Early ECEAP and/or ECEAP programming
  • Transportation support for child to and from Early Care and Learning Environment daily.
  • Support from infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) professional to conduct visits with families in the home (if needed) and with the teachers in the classroom.
  • Discharge/Transition Planning

ECLIPSE Expansion

In 2021, the Fair Start for Kids Act (FSKA) included proviso funding to expand ECLIPSE services to additional communities around the state. The lack of overlap between the ECLIPSE and B-5 ECEAP population that was identified in the research study, “Service Use, Risk Factors, and Assessments Among ECLIPSE, ECEAP, and ESIT clients,” began the discussion to redesign ECLIPSE from a stand-alone therapeutic program to therapeutic treatment. This provides an expanded/tertiary level of intervention integrated with the promotion and prevention practices offered through B-5 ECEAP comprehensive quality programming. The Fair Start Act for Kids Act legislation included that ECLIPSE or ECLIPSE like services be available to young children and families who interact with multiple system, including the Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF) child welfare.

Tenants of ECLIPSE Integration:

  • Dual Enrollment: ECEAP and Early ECEAP high quality comprehensive early learning model will be paired with ECLIPSE mental health supports and services and expanded to additional programs throughout the state guided by data on critical mental health needs
  • Efficient Layered Funding: ECEAP, B-3 ECEAP and ECLIPSE funds will be combined to meet the therapeutic needs of children and families enrolled in ECEAP and B-3 ECEAP
  • Strong Data: ECLIPSE services will be integrated into the Early Learning Management System (ELMS), which houses ECEAP and B-3 ECEAP administrative data and child and family assessments
  • High Quality Tiered Supports: Following capacity for further data collection, individualized child and family interventions and classroom adaptations and supports will be analyzed for quality and effectiveness

The Fair Start for Kids Act (SB 5237) included funding to expand ECLIPSE services into new counties of the state during the 2022-2023 ECEAP state fiscal year. Funding has been awarded to the providers across the state to provide ECLIPSE services. Below is a list of contractors and counties where ECLIPSE services are located. It is anticipated that this will serve 515 ECLIPSE slots to the following communities: 

ECLIPSE expansion is limited to current Early ECEAP and ECEAP providers. To learn more, visit the ECEAP Expansion Webpage.

ECLIPSE Information & Resources

ECLIPSE Information Sheet (Coming Soon!)

Minimum Service Delivery Requirements 2023-2024

ECLIPSE Services Contractor List

2022-23 ECLIPSE Contractor Slots, Models, and Funding

Fair Start for Kids Act

ECLIPSE Programming Expanding

ECLIPSE Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Evaluation Brief