Early Childhood Behavioral Health
Workforce Development/Training
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) is a multidisciplinary field, inclusive of persons from many professional and community backgrounds and systems, focusing on enhancing the emotional and social competence of infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children through healthy relationships. Anyone who touches the lives of babies, young children and their families can contribute to promoting infant and early childhood mental health.1
IECMH efforts are aimed at promoting mental health, preventing mental health problems, and providing effective culturally responsive, family centered, and equitable supports and where needed, interventions.
Infant Early Childhood Mental Health is defined as: The developing capacity of the child from birth to 5 years old to:
- form close and secure adult and peer relationships;
- experience, manage, and express a full range of emotions; and
- explore the environment and learn
— all in the context of family, community, and culture.
This definition from Zero to Three is utilized by the NC Division of Child and Family Wellbeing and NC Infant Mental Health Association.
1For more information go to: https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/yes-mental-health-includes-babies/
Current IECMH professional development opportunities in North Carolina include:
Advancing Resources for Children (ARCh) Project: The primary focus of the ARCh Project is to improve infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) outcomes of North Carolina children ages birth to five by increasing access to services and advancing workforce capacity to effectively meet their needs. Training topics available for providers include: Mental Health Begins by Birth; Screening & Referring for Mental Health Needs in Infants and Young Children; Workforce Wellness & Preventing Secondary Traumatic Stress; and diagnostic classification DC:0-5 Clinical Training.
North Carolina Child Treatment Program (NC CTP) is a statewide effort to train mental health providers in evidence-based treatment models addressing early childhood trauma, behavior, and attachment. Evidence-based treatments for young children include Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Parent-Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT), Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
North Carolina Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Association (NCIMHA) is a network of professionals who support the mental health and social-emotional development of children ages birth-5 and those who care for them. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement (IECMH-E) in North Carolina is available to demonstrate expertise in working on behalf of young children. Training and support Reflective Supervision / Consultation (RSC) is also available.
Behavioral Health Springboard: BHS’ professional development offerings include a free, asynchronous course, “Teaching the Whole Child: Supporting the Social-Emotional Wellness of Preschool and Elementary-Aged Children” for school employees and behavioral health professionals including teachers, school staff, counselors, social workers and other human services professionals who would like to increase their understanding of how to support the social emotional wellness of preschool and elementary school-aged students.
DCFW Partnership
Through a grant from the Duke Endowment, Behavioral Health Springboard houses an Early Childhood Behavioral Health Programs Specialist. This position closely supports NCDHHS’ Division of Child and Family Wellbeing Child Behavioral Health Unit in aligning system-level efforts to support IECMH within its statewide programs, services, and workforce development. The Early Childhood Behavioral Health Programs Specialist is Alexandra Morris, awmorris@unc.edu.
External Stakeholder Support and Partnership
Alignment of system-level efforts to support IECMH includes partnership with state government, professional practice and policy organizations in NC. This includes organizations and initiatives that support early childhood workforce development and training, provision of services to young children and families, and data-informed policy development.
Resources
Policy Resources
Think Babies paper (Zero to Three)
EarlyWell Initiative, a joint project of NC Child and the NC Early Childhood Foundation
NC Early Childhood Foundation, Pathways to Grade-Level Reading policy toolkit
NC DHHS Early Childhood Action Plan
Practice Resources
Healthy Social Behaviors (HSB) Project, supported through the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education’s federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), supports early childhood educators in birth-five classrooms to promote healthy social-emotional development and reduce the expulsion rate among young children in licensed child care centers across North Carolina.
Utilizing the evidence-based Pyramid Model as its framework, the project offers consultation and individualized coaching to support teachers’ development of nurturing and responsive relationships, high quality supportive environments, and targeted social and emotional support. This project includes a Challenging Behaviors Helpline for NC early educators to access.
North Carolina Infant-Toddler Program (NC ITP) is a part of NCDHHS’ Division of Child and Family Well-Being, and provides support and services for families and their children, birth to three, who have developmental delays or disabilities.
Home Visiting programs for pregnant women and families with young children offer information, guidance, risk assessment, and parenting support at home. The evidence-based models in this program are designed to improve child health and development, pregnancy outcomes, and parenting skills.
Parenting Education and supports in North Carolina:
Smart Start North Carolina Partnership for Children