Nathaniel von der Embse, PhD, a professor of school psychology at the University of South Florida and Co-Executive Director of the School Mental Health Collaborative, has been awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute for Education Sciences (IES). This substantial grant will fund a four-year project aimed at developing and validating a social, emotional, and behavioral risk screening tool for early childhood.
The project, titled "Development and Validation of a Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Risk Screener for Early Childhood," seeks to address the critical need for early intervention services to support children's social, emotional, and academic development. The initiative will create an online and application-based universal screening system, available in both English and Spanish, to identify social and emotional needs and strengths to inform preventative services for young children.
Dr. von der Embse will lead the project in collaboration with co-principal investigators Dr. Katie Eklund and Dr. Stephen Kilgus from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Dr. Jason Anthony, Dr. Maria Carlo, and Dr. Lise Fox from the University of South Florida. The new assessment will be aligned with the Social Academic and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS), a universal screening tool developed by von der Embse and Kilgus used in K-12 settings and completed over 10 million times across all 50 states.
Highlighting the significance of the project, von der Embse said, "There is a lack of defensible and efficient early childhood screening tools. At the same time, behavioral and mental health needs within early childhood populations have increased significantly. This new tool will provide educators with a reliable tool to identify social and emotional needs early, allowing for timely and effective interventions. By aligning with screening tools used in K-12, we aim to support children's transition from early childhood programs to formal schooling.”
The research will unfold over four phases. First, the team will develop and refine the screener items by gathering feedback from an expert panel. Second, they will assess the psychometric properties of both the English and Spanish versions. Third, they will validate the tool with a new sample of children across Florida and Wisconsin. Finally, the team will evaluate the predictive validity and usability of the screener, ensuring it meets the needs of educators and students alike.
The project will involve Head Start classrooms and private early childhood education providers in diverse settings, including rural, suburban, and urban areas of Florida and Wisconsin. Approximately 128 early childhood educators will participate each year in phases two and three, screening around 1,280 children per phase.
For more information, please contact Dr. Nathaniel von der Embse and future resources will be hosted on the School Mental Health Collaborative website.