News release
Child & Family Center announced that staff members Heidi Viramontes and Sommer Mneimne have completed the 2024-25 UCLA Early Childhood Fellowship sponsored by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health in collaboration with the UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence.
In addition, Amy Warren, manager of training and education for Child & Family Center, was accepted into the upcoming 2025-26 fellowship cohort, the nonprofit organization announced in a news release.
Viramontes and Mneimne are both licensed clinical social workers. Viramontes is a program coordinator for the organization’s Early Childhood and Multidisciplinary Assessment Team, and Mneimne is a clinical supervisor for outpatient services, according to the release.
The 10-month program brings together professionals working with young children to learn research-based and community-informed practices in prevention and early intervention, the Child & Family release said.
This year’s cohort consisted of 20 L.A. County organizations representing various backgrounds, including mental health therapists, early childhood educators, parent partners, speech/language therapists, the Department of Children & Family Services and the Department of Mental Health. National and local experts collaborate with colleagues to create and implement innovative approaches to address the challenges faced by families with young children, the release said.
Together with their fellowship team, Viramontes and Mneimne developed a culminating project focused on addressing the needs of the center’s youngest children and families, the release said.
The project comprises support tools for infant mental health clinicians, based on the “Heart, Head and Hands” framework. It integrates Zero to Three’s core competencies for early childhood professionals, prenatal to 5 years, which together represent the skills and approaches necessary for professionals working with infants, toddlers and families.
The support tools include, according to the release:
- Guides on various topics that include step by step consideration and practices to addressing clinical challenges.
- A clinician focused self-assessment to support reflection on the implementation of interventions and gaps in services.
- A family-child assessment to assist the family in identifying their own strengths and opportunities for further growth.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship experience and the opportunity to share space with like-minded professionals who are passionate about serving the children and families in our communities,” Viramontes said in the release. “It was a space to reflect, grow, and reaffirm ‘my why’ – why I choose to serve and hold the most vulnerable children and families. I am reinvigorated with a sense of hope that we as community can affect profound and life-changing impacts.”
Mneimne agreed, and added: “The fellowship was an incredible opportunity to connect with professionals across L.A. County and reflect on best practices for supporting young children and their families. It deepened my understanding and gave me new tools that I’m excited to bring back to Child & Family Center. Our project, grounded in the ‘Heart, Head, and Hands’ framework, will strengthen how our team supports 0-5 mental health services — and I hope it inspires others to join this vital work.”
“I am so incredibly proud of Heidi, Sommer and Amy,” Child & Family Center CEO/President Nikki Buckstead said in the release. “Their selection into this fellowship reflects not only their professional excellence but also their relentless compassion and advocacy for the youngest and most vulnerable members of our community. Their leadership continues to strengthen the center’s efforts in building resilience, restoring hope and creating safe pathways to healing for children and their families.”
Child & Family Center provides mental and behavioral health services, drug and alcohol treatment and domestic violence services to children, teens and their families. For more information, go to www.childfamilycenter.org.
