Early Childhood Resources
Moving the Infant-Toddler Policy Agenda Forward Together: Strategies to Build Successful Coalitions (PDF)
At the local, state and federal levels, advocates are increasingly working together to bring the voice of infants, toddlers and their families to public policy. In many cases, they have formed coalitions or alliances of distinct partners who come together temporarily to take joint action in support of an infant-toddler policy agenda. Working in coalition can have many advantages for advocates, as it allows partners to have a larger impact with fewer resources. It is also a method by which diverse partners can come together around a common issue, and provide a united, clear message to policymakers about what is best for very young children.
Spanish Infant-Toddler Language and Early Literacy Activities
A Spanish language version of the birth-to-three parent-child activity materials are now available from Washington Learning Systems. These home and community activities for adults and children (ages birth to three) encourage early language and literacy development. Each of the twenty activities includes hints for making the activity fun and developmentally appropriate. A checklist is also available to help parents and caregivers notice children's skills, and encourages adults to examine and develop their own interactions with children.
Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care: Policy Framework Summary
This Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and ZERO TO THREE guide sets forth four key principles that all babies and toddlers in child care need and offers 15 recommendations that state child care licensing, quality and subsidy policies should address.
Elevating the Field: Using NAEYC Early Childhood Program Accreditation to Support and Reach Higher Quality in Early Childhood Programs
This National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) report highlights strategies that states are using to improve the quality of their early care and education systems, with linkages to NAEYC accreditation.
Virtual Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Development
Canada's Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development recently launched a virtual Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Development that provides current scientific knowledge on 33 topics related to the psychosocial development of the child, from conception to the age of five.
New Guidelines on Maltreatment of Children with Disabilities and Child Physical Abuse
The National Guideline Clearinghouse, a comprehensive database of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and related documents, has announced the following new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics on the maltreatment of children with disabilites and suspected child physical abuse.
ASD Video Glossary
Autism Speaks, in collaboration with First Signs and Florida State University's FIRST WORDS Project, has developed a Web-based ASD Video Glossary to help parents of children suspected of or recently diagnosed with autism understand the words and terms used in association with ASD. It contains hundreds of video clips contrasting behaviors that are red flags for ASD with behaviors that are typical. It is also meant for professionals who do not have experience in diagnosing young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Child Care and Early Education: New Site from CLASP
Wondering how the No Child Left Behind reauthorization affects early learning? Want the latest child care subsidy data? This new Center for Law and Social Policy Web site section has state data, tools and information about key issues, as well as updates on federal legislation and news.
Practice-Based Intervention Has Sustained Benefits for Children and Families
According to a follow-up study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, benefits from the Healthy Steps for Young Children program were sustained more than two years after participation ended. The Healthy Steps program is an intervention that aims to enhance relationships among parents, children and pediatric practices by placing trained developmental specialists in pediatric practices to provide enhanced behavior and development services during the first three years of a child's life. Based on a study published in Pediatrics, several benefits were sustained more than two years after program involvement, including greater satisfaction among parents with their child's health care, greater likelihood that children were reading books, and greater odds that parents report serious behavioral issue to pediatricians.
Supporting Healthy Relationships Between Young Children and Parents: Lessons from Attachment Theory and Research
According to attachment theory and research, early child-parent relationships lay the foundation for children's later social, emotional and school functioning. This new brief from the Center for Child and Family at Duke University examines the range of attachments and their importance for later development and offers guidelines and curricula recommendations for practitioners, policymakers, parents and others.
What Works: Evidence on Early Child Interventions
The U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse recently reviewed 17 early childhood interventions (curricula and practices) aimed at children ages 3 to 5 in center-based child care. Each review covered: oral language, print knowledge, phonological processing, early reading/writing, cognition and math. It identifies the programs that offered evidence of strong positive effects.
State Child Care Assistance Policies 2007: Some Steps Forward, More Progress Needed (PDF)
Despite modest progress in some areas, states continue to fall short of providing low-income parents the support they need to access quality child care. This brief from the National Women's Law Center compares policy reimbursement rates for providers, income eligibility, waiting lists for assistance and copayment requirements in 2007 to 2006 and 2001.
School Readiness: Implementation Study of the Comprehensive Services Program of Palm Beach County, Florida
To improve the school readiness of low-income children, Palm Beach County, Florida, launched a program to identify children's needs and provide early intervention services to support physical, cognitive, and emotional health and development. This Chapin Hall report examines challenges, lessons learned and impact.
Local Systems Development for Early Childhood: A Look at 10 States
Some 38 states are working to build their Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems, which are designed to improve outcomes for children and families and ensure that all young children are healthy and ready for school. This "short take" from the National Center for Children in Poverty's Project Thrive looks at what 10 states are doing and offers ideas for local systems.
Addressing the Needs of Young Children in Child Welfare: Part C—Early Intervention Services
Enactment of the Part C referral provisions in CAPTA and IDEA (2004) opens the door to a powerful partnership with great potential benefits for children under age 3 involved in substantiated cases of abuse or neglect and their families. This bulletin provides examples of State efforts to implement the new referral provisions and provides lessons learned to child welfare administrators and practitioners in accessing early interventions services for children and families identified by the child welfare system. It offers potential strategies to address barriers.
Report on California 's "Border Kids" Breaks Stereotypes
Children living along the California-Mexico border face substantial challenges to their health and educational well-being, according to a report released by Children Now.
To access the report, visit http://www.childrennow.org/newsroom/press_releases/pr_070614.html.
Childhood Social Skills And Learning Abilities Linked By Research
Research presented at the 2007 meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development by a team of Michigan State University researchers indicate that a child's social skills at age three could predict his or her future social and academic performance.
Important social skills in early childhood include emerging abilities to manage feelings and behaviors, recognize social cues from others and engage in positive interactions with peers.
Findings from related studies by the MSU research team include:
* Children dealing with higher levels of stress in their lives were more likely to demonstrate lower social skills when in class with other children who had low social skills.
* Family malnutrition at age four can predicts behavior problems at a later age.
* Parental care, such as use of positive behaviors and general involvement with their children's school, influence positively their children's performance both in the short and long term.
"Early intervention is an important tool for enhancing and supporting early development," said Holly Brophy- Herb, an associate professor of family and child ecology who led the research team. "But we must also focus on how interventions work, whether they are curricular interventions or comprehensive early intervention services, such as Early Head Start (EHS), under what circumstances and for whom."
The MSU research team is also part of a National Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Consortium, which has been engaged in a study of EHS eligible children and their families since 1996. With 3,001 families participating, this research was conducted at 17 sites across the country, including the one at the Jackson Community Action Agency, an MSU partner.
Findings reported by the national consortium reflect the long term impacts of EHS:
* Overall, EHS children performed better on measures of cognition, language and social-emotional functioning than their peers at age three. In addition, they were less likely to be in the "at risk" category of cognitive and language functioning.By age five children who had received EHS programming as infants and toddlers continued to show fewer behavior problems and more positive approaches to learning.
* Parents of EHS children were more supportive of their children's emotional, cognitive and language development when their children were three years of age. The same results were observed at assessments when the children were five years of age.
* When impacts were examined by race/ethnicity, African American children continue to show the greatest benefits. They were more likely to be enrolled in formal programs following EHS than those children not in EHS.
The Challenges of Change: Learning from the Child Care and Early Education Experiences of Immigrant Families
One in every five children in the U.S. is the child of an immigrant. Although quality child care can benefit these children, they are less likely to participate in all types of non-parental care than their U.S.-born peers. To find out why, the Center for Law and Social Policy conducted site visits across the country, and sought out immigrant leaders, parents, service providers, and policymakers. This report identifies the main barriers for these families and promising local strategies to improve programs so they're more relevant and accessible for children of immigrants. It includes policy and research recommendations.
Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation: Public Investment in High-Quality Prekindergarten
A new study from the Economic Policy Institute examines costs and benefits to society of two scenarios - one in which public preschool education is made available to all children and one in which programs are targeted to disadvantaged children. According to the author, economist Robert G. Lynch, total annual benefits of a universal program would begin to pay for the program within nine years and would do so by growing margins each year thereafter. The payoff for targeted programs would begin in six years with the margin growing yearly thereafter. While returns would vary by state, universal pre-K programs would yield higher returns by the year 2050.
To access this report, visit
http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/book_enriching.
To review a Fact Sheet about this report, visit http://www.epi.org/books/enriching/mediakit/lynch_fact_sheet.pdf.
Building Collaboration Among Early Intervention Service Providers
The Family and Community Partnership initiative was created to strengthen the functioning of and collaboration among programs providing prevention and early intervention services to families in Palm Beach County, Florida. A new report from Chapin Hall examines the features of the program and its progress toward meeting goals. Read the report, Helping Families Shine: Evaluation of the Family and Community Partnership, Palm Beach County, Florida by Sandra Lyons and Carolyn Winje.
Strengthening Policies to Support Children, Youth, and Families Who Experience Trauma (PDF)
This report by the National Center for Children in Poverty documents critical considerations in strengthening policies to support trauma-informed practice. It reviews current policies and practices to support children, youth, and families exposed to trauma.
State of the States’ ECCS Initiatives
This Project THRIVE Short Take summarizes the results of a review and analysis of state Early Childhood Comprehensive System (ECCS) plans and reports. Find out about the progress that has been made toward creating comprehensive systems of early childhood services.
Reducing Disparities Beginning in Early Childhood
Research shows that many disparities in children’s health and well-being are rooted in early childhood. This Project THRIVE Short Take highlights patterns of disparities in risks, access, and outcomes and provides recommendations for reducing disparities in early childhood.
NAEYC offers early childhood ed recommendations (PDF)
The future of the nation’s schools and economy begin with improving early childhood education, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which this week released a series of recommendations designed to help Congress accomplish that end.
New Online Child Care Directory
ZiggyBug.com allows parents around the country to search for local home-based, center-based, and pre-school child care. In a recent newsletter, EarlyEducation.org asked, "how will this impact Resource and Referral agencies?"
Early Childhood—Introduction Profiles
State policies that promote health, education, and strong families can help the early development and school readiness of America’s youngest citizens. The National Center for Children in Poverty has developed profiles that highlight states’ policy choices alongside other contextual data related to the well-being of young children.
To access these profiles, visit http://www.nccp.org/profiles/index_profile.php?id=16.
State Early Childhood Policies: Improving the Odds
Early childhood is a time of great opportunity. For young children, it is a time when they will learn to walk and talk and build the foundations for future development. For policymakers, it is a time to improve the odds that young children receive the health care, positive early learning experiences, and nurturing parenting that will support their healthy development and school readiness. For more than 10 years, the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) has reported on state-level policy efforts to promote the well-being of young children and their families, particularly low-income children, with Map and Track: State Initiatives for Young Children and Families. NCCP continues this tradition with Improving the Odds for Young Children, a multi-faceted project that provides a unique picture of the policy choices states make to promote healthy development and school readiness.
To access this report, visit http://nccp.org/publications/pub_725.html.
Toolkit for Annual Progress and Services Report
If you or your organization works with State and Tribal Child and Family Services Plan/Annual Progress and Services Report, this new toolkit from the Children's Bureau will come in handy. What's this mouthful mean? The feds require states and tribes to develop a plan for the safety, permanency, and well being of children and families in their care, and measure their progress each year).
Helping Families and Children Cope With Traumatic Events
Kids of all ages are talking about the VA Tech tragedy, says the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). NACCRRA offers resources to help parents, child care providers, school staff and others talk with kids, help with healing, and calm their fears.
Child Care and Behavior Problems
A new study from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - the largest-ever U.S. analysis of child care and development - found that by fifth and sixth grade, children who had spent more than 10 hours per week in the care of someone other than their mother had better vocabulary but more behavior problems than their peers. Researchers were careful to note that parenting quality was a much better predictor of child development than time in care, but the study has touched off much debate.
For more on the study, see:
The Kids Are Alright: What the Latest Day Care Study Really Found
In Slate, Emily Bazelon criticizes the press for "leading with the bad news and for ignoring the researchers' caveats that no cause-and-effect conclusions can be drawn from their data." The few differences between kids who spent time in early child care and their peers seem largely influenced by parenting.
Making a Difference: Excellence in Early Childhood Education
The House and Senate are expected to conference on their respective Head Start reauthorization bills in the coming weeks, with floor action possible this month. NAEYC has issued a call to action for Congress that offers concrete recommendations to strengthen federal partnerships with states, communities, programs, and families and give all children access to excellent early childhood education (Adobe Acrobat required).
Quality Child Care - A Guide for Working Parents
In a recent California Federation of Teachers survey, working parents ranked pre-school/child care as one of the most important issues they face, essential to their ability to work. This guide offers facts and community resources to help Californians find child care and help unions and businesses do a better job ensuring access to quality child care (Adobe Acrobat required).
Child Care Counts: Supporting Work Participation and Family Self-Sufficiency (CA)
This report looks at how the child care community can help California and its counties meet new federal work and data reporting requirements under the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. Published by the Child Development Policy Institute and The Foundation for Early Education (Adobe Acrobat required).
Close to Home: State Strategies to Strengthen and Support Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care
Here's a look at how state policies and practices affect early care and education and family support - and parents' decisions to use relative, friend and neighbor child care, as well as ideas for strengthening this care. Published by the National Women's Law Center. To view this resource, visit http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/CloseToHome2007.pdf.
State Infant and Toddler Initiative Profiles
The Center for Law and Social Policy has released state profiles to accompany its 2006 Starting Off Right report, which described state strategies to improve early care and education for infants and toddlers, and supports for their families. To view these state profiles, visit http://www.clasp.org/publications/state_infanttoddler_profiles.htm.
We Can Do Better: State Child Care Center Standards and Oversight
The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) has a new state-by-state ranking of child care licensing. The bottom line is, too many states do a poor job of regulating and overseeing the quality and safety of child care -- among the recommendations are more safety inspections and staff background checks. Idaho and Louisiana scored lowest, while the U.S. military got the highest grade. To access the state rankings, visit http://www.naccrra.org/news/scorecard.php.
Valuable Children's Social-Emotional Development Resources
On February 2, 2007 National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC), CSEFEL and CEBP collaborated to present a discussion about promoting the social and emotional development of young children. Faculty members Rob Corso, Lise Fox, and Barbara Smith described a comprehensive prevention, promotion, and intervention framework which integrates evidence-based practices to address the social-emotional and behavioral needs of young children ages birth – five and their families, and identified valuable resources that may be used for personnel preparation, policy and program guidance.
The result of this event is a multimedia recording of this call that includes all presentations with synchronized audio from the conference call. A table of contents slide allows you to quickly and easily navigate to specific parts of the call you wish to see and hear. This very helpful resource can be accessed on the NECTAC website at: http://www.nectac.org/%7Ecalls/2007/challengingbehavior/challenge.asp
Also available is the new Policy Brief titled Promoting Social, Emotional and Behavioral Outcomes of Young Children Served Under IDEA. This two-page, informative brief provides answers to the following questions:
- Why are social, emotional and behavioral outcomes an essential priority?
What are the OSEP, IDEA Part C and B/619 requirements related to social, emotional and behavioral outcomes?
- What does the research say about the ability of EC personnel to improve children’s social, emotional and behavioral outcomes?
- Is there an effective model for promoting social, emotional and behavioral outcomes?
- How are effective practices that produce positive outcomes promoted from the state level?
To access the brief, click here.
Feasibility of expanding services for very young children in the public mental health setting
A quality-improvement study evaluated the feasibility of training mental health providers to provide mental health screening and relationship-based intervention to expand services for children 0 to 5 years of age in eight California county mental health systems from November 2002 to June 2003. State-level training was provided to more than 582 participants and county-level training to more than 5425 participants, including ongoing supervision. Read more (Purchase required)
Early Intervention as Prevention: Addressing Trauma in Young Children
This article focuses on the need for early intervention to address child traumatic stress in young children. The article also describes the characteristics of effective intervention. Read article
Even in Tough Circumstances, Play is Beneficial for Children’s Development
A study published in the Lancet reports that playing offers children significant mental development benefits, even if they are malnourished or living in poverty. Researchers studying programs in developing countries such as Bangladesh and Jamaica found that stimulating play raised children’s IQ by up to nine points, increasing their chances for greater success later in life. To read more, visit http://nationalacademies.org/headlines/20070123.html
Characteristics of Effective Mental Health Consultations in Early Childhood Settings
In response to an increasing need to support children with emotional and behavioral
challenges in childcare settings and the high rates of expulsion among
preschool children, mental health consultation in early childhood settings is becoming
an increasingly popular intervention strategy. At the same time, there is little agreement
or empirical evidence to help early childhood program managers and other
professionals make decisions about the most important characteristics and services that mental health consultants should provide.This study presents findings from a
nationally representative survey of 74 Head Start programs and 655 Head Start directors,
staff members, and mental health consultants to use in addressing this gap. Read more
Promoting Effective Early Learning: What Every Policymaker and Educator Should Know
When it comes to academic performance, low-income children tend to lose ground early. This new brief from the National Center for Children in Poverty finds that an intentional pre-K curriculum -- one that avoids "drill and kill" lessons, addresses social skills, and responds to culture and language -- along with hands-on professional development to help teachers work with low-income children can improve early literacy and math achievement.
To read more, visit http://nccp.org/pub_pes07a.html.
Resource Guide: Designing Early Childhood Facilities
Planning to build or update your early childhood facilities? The Local Initiatives Support Corporation has a series of "how-to" guides examining the connection between space and program quality, and offering design ideas. Read more
News: Sending baby to the shrink: Infant psychotherapy gains favor among parents
This article, originally published in the October 24 edition of the Wall Street Journal, explores the growing focus on early childhood mental health. Journalist Elizabeth Bernstein writes, "Therapists are increasingly moving their treatments from the couch to the crib. While the field of infant mental health -- which encompasses the study of children from birth through age three -- has been around for decades, new research on everything from brain development to maternal depression is giving it a boost."
To read more, visit: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06297/732517-114.stm
Report: The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005: An Overview of Key Medicaid Provisions and Their Implications for Early Childhood Development Services
This report, recently released by the Commonwealth Fund, discusses key parts of the Deficit Reducation Act related to eligibility, cost-sharing, premiums, the benefit package, and targeted case management, including the latest guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.*
*Information taken from the Commonwealth Fund Oct. 3 E-Mail Alert.
For more information, visit: http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications
_show.htm?doc_id=409144&#doc409144
Improving Mental Health in Primary Care Through Access, Collaboration and Training (IMPACT) Children's Mental Health E-News
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in collaboration with the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, is pleased to bring you the second IMPACT Children's Mental Health E-News.
To access this E-News issue, click here.
If you have comments, questions or information you would like posted in the electronic newsletter, please contact ahovde@aap.org.
Developing Fiscal Analyses and Children's Budgets to Support ECCS
This third Project THRIVE Short Take describes how states can carry out strategic fiscal analyses and create children's budgets. Both are essential for building a state or community fiscal infrastructure to support and sustain early childhood comprehensive system plans. View this resource.
Brochure from the Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior
As part of our continuing effort to provide you with information and resources that meet your members' needs, I would like to let you know that the Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior (CEBP) has a new brochure titled Positive Solutions for Families now available online. Please feel free to forward this email or distribute this information on listserves, newsletters, etc. as you deem appropriate.
This 4-page brochure provides parents with eight practical tips they can use when their young children exhibit challenging behavior. Each tip includes a brief explanation and an example to show parents how they might use the specific approach with their own family in everyday life.
For more CEBP resource, visit http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/resources.html
The California Endowment's Mental Health Initiative Case Study -- Building Blocks: A Preschool-Based Early Intervention Program Integration of Mental Health Services
In integrating mental health services in the school setting, the Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic employed a variety of effective strategies including co-locating mental health services in classrooms, applying a multidisciplinary team approach to care, providing children an array of mental health services and provider expertise, training teachers and classroom staff, providing comprehensive support to parents and communicating and collaborating with providers in the community.
The Center for the Advanced Study of Excellence (CASE) in Early Childhood and Family Support Practices
The Center for the Advanced Study of Excellence (CASE) in Early Childhood and Family Support Practices is an applied research institute located at the Family, Infant and Preschool Program, J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center, Morganton, North Carolina, U.S.A. CASE staff conduct applied research studies, analyze extant databases, and develop and implement strategies to promote practitioners' and parents' adoption and use of practices informed by research findings. Research and practice at CASE are guided by conceptual and methodological frameworks emphasizing the enhancement and promotion of child, parent, and family competence and confidence in a manner consistent with a family-centered philosophy.
- CASE investigators and staff produce a number of products and materials that describe different aspects of CASE activities advancing the understanding of evidence-based practices and methods and procedures for promoting adoption of practices informed by research.
- CASEinPoint are web based journal articles. They include descriptions of the conceptual and theoretical models and frameworks that guide the conduct of CASE studies, descriptions of CASE projects and major CASE activities and initiatives, and findings from CASE investigations, studies, and evaluations.
- CASEmakers include bibliographies of selected references related to the evidence-based intervention and utilization practices used by CASE investigators. They include references to key sources of information constituting the focus of activity and investigation in the various CASE laboratories.
- CASEtools include descriptions of instruments, scales and procedures for promoting an understanding of the characteristics of evidence-based practices and methods and procedures for promoting adoption of these practices.
Kit for Early Childhood Professionals
The National Association for Children of Alcoholics developed this guide to help early child care providers learn more about alcoholism and its effects on children of parents with alcoholism. http://www.nacoa.org/Full_Chlidcare%20kit%20_06.pdf
The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005—Opportunities and Challenges for ECCS Initiatives
This "Short Take" was developed by Project THRIVE, an NCCP initiative to promote healthy child development and to provide policy support to the State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems initiatives. It describes the potential impact of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 on health access and coverage for young children. http://nccp.org/pub_tst06a.html
Creating Teaching Tools for Young Children with Challenging Behavior
This product is a new addition to the Center for Evidence-Based Practice Web site. It includes hyperlinked handouts and visual supports to help teachers support children with challenging behavior within preschool routines. http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/tools.html
CFK's Early Childhood (0-5 years) Mental Health and Development Toolkit
Connect for Kids (CFK) has developed this Web-based "toolkit" containing resources related to healthy early childhood development. http://www.connectforkids.org/node/3003
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
This SAMHSA monograph provides information for child care providers to use when hiring a mental health consultant. The document defines mental health consultation; describes the main features of effective early childhood mental health
consultation; discusses challenges; and provides recommendations and further resources. http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/svp05-0151/
A Practical Guide for Improving Child Developmental Services
The Healthy Development Learning Collaborative has created this manual to advise pediatric practices on how to offer better developmental care to the children and families they serve. http://www.cmwf.org/tools/tools_show.htm?doc_id=372065
Getting Ready for Quality
This paper discusses the importance of maintaining and increasing the diversity of the early care and education workforce. Authors describe elements critical to a high quality early childhood education program, present data on the demographics of the current early childhood workforce, discuss challenges of developing a diverse workforce, and offer recommendations. http://www.californiatomorrow.org/files/pdfs/gettingready.pdf
Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Approaches to Parent-Infant Interaction Intervention
This report provides a framework for understanding how cultural factors can influence approaches to interaction intervention. Different approaches used in parent-infant interaction intervention are described, along with implications for working with individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. http://www.clas.uiuc.edu/techreport/tech13.html
The Best Beginning: Partnerships Between Primary Health Care and Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for Young Children and Their Families
This document provides an overview of "innovative efforts
across the country where health care providers have attempted to
treat families as a whole, provide care in the context of a medical
home, identify mental health and substance abuse disorders earlier,
and make successful referrals and linkages to community-based
mental health and substance abuse services and supports" (Page 7).
Study Reveals Prolonged Effectiveness of Early Intervention Program
A new study published in the March 2006 issue of Pediatrics revealed that children who received
the Infant Health and Development Program, an early development intervention for preterm infants, had higher achievement scores in math and reading and fewer risky behaviors. These findings suggest that high-quality early education services can improve cognitive and behavioral development.
Maternal and Child Health Library
The Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University is a "virtual guide to MCH information." The Web site provides the MCH community with accurate and timely information on a broad range of topics. Materials include the weekly newsletter MCH Alert, resource guides, full text publications, databases, and links to quality MCH sites. http://www.mchlibrary.info
This is the first Issue Brief from NCCP’s Project THRIVE, a public policy analysis and education initiative for infants and young children funded through a cooperative agreement with the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau. States planning comprehensive early childhood systems can use this brief to identify ways to use federal and state fiscal resources more effectively to promote the social and emotional health and well-being of the most vulnerable young children. http://nccp.org/pub_pti06a.html
Basic Facts About Low-Income Children: Birth to Age 3
This fact sheet provides general demographic information about children birth to age 3 in the United States who live in low-income families. It describes their number and proportion, where they live and how often they move, their age distribution, race, and ethnicity, and their parent’s education, employment, marital status, and country of origin. http://nccp.org/pub_ecp06.html
Making Early Developmental Screenings Routine
This article, published by Connect for Kids, discusses the importance of parental observation for early developmental screening. According to the article, a "growing number of pediatricians ... see parental observation as a powerful tool for predicting a child's possible disabilities, developmental delays and other challenges." READ MORE>>
Proven Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions
This research brief, recently released by the
RAND corporation, details the most effective practices and features of early intervention programs. The report is based on an in-depth literature review and analysis. A summary of the briefing can be found at http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9145/index1.html
Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health-Colorado Chapter Youth Coordinator Position
Please Note: This job description is written somewhat generally, but Project Bloom has agreed on several priority areas for teen/youth involvement: 1) teen parents of young children at risk of or with SED; 2) sibling support for youth who are siblings of young children with SED; 3) overall youth voice and leadership in a system of care – particularly with youth who have experienced SED as a young child.
Information about the Center for Evidence-Based Practice's Third Annual Policy Maker’s Summit
The Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior
sponsored the Third Annual Policy Maker’s Summit on the topic of young children and challenging behavior on November 16, 2005 in Washington, DC. You can visit the Center's website to access all of the materials presented at the summit including PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and other resources. http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/summit11.2005.htm
Toward Evidence-Based Treatment: Child–Parent
Psychotherapy with Preschoolers Exposed to
Marital Violence
by Alicia F. Lieberman, Patricia Van Horn, and Chandra Ghosh Ippen
This article is from the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The article documents the efficacy of Child-Parent Psychotherapy with a multiethnic sample of preschoolers exposed to domestic violence and their mothers.
State Approaches to Promoting Young Children's Healthy Mental Development
This report, produced by the National Academy of State Health Policy with support from the Commonwealth Fund, summarizes responses to a February 2005 survey of state agency representatives in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and identifies many opportunities to improve screening, assessment and diagnosis, and treatment and referral for young children and their mothers.
Other topics include coordination of services, quality assurance, provider education, and system capacity. Priority issues and a conclusion are also provided.
Strengthening the Foundations
of Emotional Health in Early Childhood:
A Handbook for Practitioners
This handbook provides important information about the emotional health of young children and families. The handbook is designed primarily for practitioners who use AIMS: Developmental Indicators of Emotional Health, a professionally constructed system of psychosocial practices recommended for professional use with young children and their families. The AIMS system is designed to facilitate family-oriented, wellness and strength-focused assessment and intervention practices, which are considered likely to promote positive emotional functioning in young children and their families.
Reaching All Children?
Understanding Early Care and Education
Participation Among Immigrant Families
Children of immigrants comprise a population who could particularly benefit from early education programs. Such programs could help these children acquire and improve English skills, eliminating barriers to learning later on. In addition, programs that contain comprehensive services can connect families to health and other social services. However, young children of immigrants are less likely to enroll in early education programs. This brief examines the characteristics of immigrant families and the barriers they face to accessing early education programs. It also provides policy recommendations for state and local administrators of early care and education programs.
Baby Stages – A Parent’s and Caregiver’s Guide to the Social and Emotional Development of Infants and Toddlers
The Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health (MI-AIMH), the Michigan Department of Community Health and Michigan State University Extension have created a “wheel” that can steer parents and those working with infants and families through the critical first years! Easy to read and user friendly, parents and caregivers can follow an infant’s progress around the wheel until he or she is three years old. To order one or multiple copies of Baby Stages, please call 734-785-7700, Ext. 7194, or e-mail: dkahraman@guidance-center.org or check out the web site at www.mi-aimh.msu.edu.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Screening Instruments
For an overview of some commonly used screening instruments for children and adolescents, take a look at this resource. These instruments screen for a variety of issues, from behavioral and psycho-social disorders to substance abuse problems. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, nor does the TA Partnership endorse any one of these instruments over any others.
Using EPSDT to Promote Early Childhood Mental Health: An Idea Kit developed for the National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental
Health (TA Center), Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development.
Building Culturally and Linguistically Competent Services to Support Young Children, Their Families and School Readiness by Kathy Seitzinger Hepburn, M.S., Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
This is an excellent “Tool Kit” that focuses on diversity and the cultural context of the family and community; addresses the impact of culture on child development and implementing culturally and linguistically competent services; as well as strategies for staff to implement these services. It includes critical questions for communities to address; key strategies to implement; guides, tip sheets and checklists and promising practices.
Funding Early Childhood Mental Health Services and Supports by Amy Wishman, Donald Kates and Roxane Kaufmann, Georgetown University Child Development Center
Project Bloom Logic Model
State Approaches to
Promoting Young Children’s
Healthy Mental Development:
A Survey of Medicaid, and Maternal
and Child Health, and Mental
Health Agencies by
Jill Rosenthal and
Neva Kaye
Using Medicaid to Support
Young Children’s Healthy
Mental Development by Kay Johnson and
Neva Kaye
Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior The following are Handouts for professionals and family members regarding information on evidence-based recommendations. They can be found at http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/resources.html.
The Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior has identified and described the current state of knowledge pertaining to evidence-based practices for young children with challenging behavior. The following synthesis documents present a concise picture of the state of empirical knowledge relating to systems of service delivery, service utilization, and interventions.
