Policy Statement
Healthy social and emotional development position children to learn, to develop positive relationships and to be successful.
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What do all young children ages birth to five require for healthy social emotional development?
- Predictable and responsive caregivers
- Safe and consistent environments
- Healthy relationships / attachments
- Basic needs are met (food, shelter, medical, etc.)
- Parental supports
- Quality childcare
What does it look like when children do not have opportunities to have these needs met?
- Highly reactive – unable to regulate emotions
- Low responsiveness
- Challenging behaviors
- Poor attachments or connections to caregivers
- Poor social skills and poor peer relations
- Difficulty with focus, attention, initiative-learning problems
- Medical manifestations
Why birth through age five?
- Brain research tells us about the impact the environment and relationships have on the developing brain and that birth to three is a critical time where pathways are set to later impact development, learning and successes.
- Adverse life experiences have significant impacts upon the development of young children. Effectively preventing or addressing these in the early years, can divert or mitigate experiences toxic to a child’s development.
- Fewer resources are needed earlier in a child’s life with proportionately greater outcomes.
- When opportunities are made available that provide a ‘level playing field’ for all children, these can mitigate toxic stressors and set children on a trajectory toward success.
What are some of the barriers?
- Public understanding of early childhood mental health is often limited to visualizing a child with a chemical imbalance or a child who experiences poor parenting. It is more effective to consider “leveling the playing field” so all children have opportunities to develop emotionally, socially and academically.
- Few available resources to effectively address the mental health needs of young children.
- The importance of quality childcare environments and healthy caregiver relationships are underrepresented. Quality early care and education opportunities are limited by a lack of resources and a workforce with limited supports.
What can Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation do?
- Cost-effective way to “even the playing field” for all young children by serving early care and education environments.
- Effectively reaches children in their natural family and community environments and extends the reach of services by creating partnerships among and between the caregivers in the child’s life.
- Facilitates screening of many children and provides services to larger groups indirectly by building caregiver and family capacity.
- Children identified with higher needs are offered targeted strategies and can be referred to more intensive services when indicated.
- Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation is a critical component within the ‘continuum of care’ necessary to meet the needs of young children birth through age 5.
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