DOCUMENT RESUME

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated the effectiveness of the Preschool and Early Childhood Functional Assessment Scale (PECFAS) Screener, an assessment designed to assist in the early identification of mental health concerns in preschool-aged children. Formed in 1993, the Putting All Communities Together 4 Families (PACT 4) program is a Children's Mental Health and Family Service Collaborative that works with four rural counties in Minnesota. PACT 4 began utilizing the PECFAS to assess functional impairment and service outcomes for children ages 4-7 years old. The PECFAS consists of seven subscales for assessing youth (school/daycare, home, community, behavior toward others, moods/emotions, self-harmful behavior, and thinking/communication) and two caregiver scales. The PECFAS Screener was administered in the first pilot to more than 300 children at a dozen preschool screenings. Preliminary findings were encouraging, in that 3 % to 8 % of the children screened indicated a nee