Endorsement Designations
There are four designations of Endorsement. They are designed to target different professional areas within the infant-family field. See the Endorsement designations outlined below, and click on each one for a corresponding chart of specific requirements and competencies.
- Infant Family Associate: This designation is intended to target individuals working in child-care settings, child care directors, advocates, professionals without an advanced degree working on policy change, case managers, intake specialists, Head Start and Early Head Start*
- Infant Family Specialist : This designation is intended for ECI, CPS, therapists, nurses, social workers, and other providers*
- Infant Mental Health Specialist : This designation is intended for graduate level mental health providers who provide therapeutic services*
- Infant Mental Health Mentor: There are 3 additional designations listed within the Infant Mental Health Mentor designation: Clinical (C), Policy (P), and Research/Faculty (R/F). These designations target professionals with advanced degrees who have experience providing infant mental health reflective supervision and other leadership (C), who are leaders in policy and/or program administration related to the infant-family field (P), or are leaders in university-level teaching and/or published research related to the infant-family field (R/F).*
*Please note that these are only examples of the types of jobs a provider may have at this designation. This is not an exhaustive list. Moreover, the levels are not meant to act as a hierarchy, but rather as categories to organize the wide range of occupations that exist in this field. Providers are encouraged to contact First3Years’ Endorsement coordinator with questions Endorsement@first3yearstx.org
| Infant Family Associate | Infant Family Specialist | Infant Mental Health Specialist | Infant Mental Health Mentor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Work Experience | CDA or Associate’s degree or 2 years early childhood experience and/or 2 years in the infant, early childhood, and family field | Minimum 2 years paid, providing services that promote infant mental health for infants, toddlers, and their families | Minimum 2 years post Master’s, paid, providing infant mental health intervention to infants, toddlers, and their families | Minimum 3 years post Master’s, paid, as a practice leader in the infant, toddler, and family field in one of the 3 designation areas |
| Educational Experience | Bachelor’s or Master’s degree | Master’s or post-graduate degree | Master’s, post-graduate, doctorate, post-doctorate degree | Master’s, post-graduate, doctorate, post-doctorate degree |
| In-Service Training | Minimum 30 hours | Minimum 30 hours | Minimum 30 hours | Minimum 30 hours |
Reflective Supervision | Not required | Minimum 24 clock hours within a one to two year time period while working with infants, toddlers, and their families | Minimum 50 clock hours within a one to two year time period while working with infants, toddlers, and their families | Required only for Clinical: Minimum 50 clock hours within a one to two year time period while working with infants, toddlers, and their families |
| Reference Ratings | Three | Three | Three | Three |
Code of Ethics | Signed | Signed | Signed | Signed |
Endorsement Agreement | Signed | Signed | Signed | Signed |
Membership in First3Years | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Professional Application | Candidate will submit a professional application on EASy (Endorsement Application System) that demonstrates that he/she has met both the requirements and the competencies specified at each level. | Candidate will submit a professional application on EASy (Endorsement Application System) that demonstrates that he/she has met both the requirements and the competencies specified at each level. | Candidate will submit a professional application on EASy (Endorsement Application System) that demonstrates that he/she has met both the requirements and the competencies specified at each level. | Candidate will submit a professional application on EASy (Endorsement Application System) that demonstrates that he/she has met both the requirements and the competencies specified at each level. |
Written Exam | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Application Fee | $15 | $15 | $25 | $25 |
Processing Fee | $25 | $50 | $200 | $300 |