Hello, Early Learning Leaders!
Children’s mental health is important every day and formally acknowledged during the first week of May, Children’s Mental Health Acceptance Week. We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused increased stressors in families and communities. Families, caregivers, and providers can better support the healthy social and emotional development of young children when they are knowledgeable about resources that help them cope with stress, including that caused by the pandemic. To help promote children’s mental health acceptance we have highlighted resources that support children and families as well as state and local early childhood programs.
In celebration of Children’s Mental Health, for our Voices From the Field interview, we interviewed Amy Hunter from the Georgetown University Early Childhood Intervention Professional Development Center. She discusses her work to support the mental health of children, families and providers.
Thank you for reading “Early Learning”!
Valerie C. Williams Director, Office of Special Education Programs Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
Jamila Smith Director, Innovation and Early Learning Programs Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
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Promoting Social-emotional and Behavioral Outcomes
The ED-funded National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) helps states and local programs support the social-emotional capacity of infants and young children. The Pyramid Model is an early childhood multitiered system of support with the goal of improving the social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of young children with, and at risk for, developmental disabilities or delays. Implementing the Pyramid Model supports reducing the use of inappropriate discipline practices, family engagement, using data for decision-making, integrating early childhood and infant mental health consultation, and fostering inclusion. NCPMI has numerous resources available.
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Supporting Children’s Mental Health
This month's Voices From the Field Interview is with Amy Hunter, who currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Child and Human Development. She co-leads the post-graduate clinical certificate program on infant early childhood mental health and co-directs the mental health section of the Head Start National Center on Health, Behavioral Health and Safety. Amy has worked in the field of infant early childhood mental health for over thirty years.
Read her post in the OSERS Blog.
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Supporting Home Visitors
Home visitors provide important services. By implementing prevention strategies, home visitors, children, and families can be protected from diseases that can be spread from person to person, such as COVID-19, flu, colds, and other respiratory or gastrointestinal illnesses. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has information on ways home visitors can protect clients and themselves during home visits.
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Resources on Children’s Mental Health
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Empowering Families for Children’s Vision
As part of their series on the vision health of children with special needs, the HHS-funded National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health is hosting a webinar to discuss how parents can advocate for their child’s vision health on May 12, at 4 p.m.
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Social-emotional Learning for Children with Disabilities and Suspected Delays
Social and emotional skills are important for young children with disabilities and suspected delays. HHS’ Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center is holding a webinar as part of its Inclusion Series on May 24, at 3 p.m. English and Spanish captioning will be provided.
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Child Care Policy Research
HHS’ Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation is accepting applications for its FY 2022 Child Care Policy Research Partnership (CCPRP) grants. The purpose of the program is to fund up to eight grants that support new research relevant to local, state and national child care policy.
Applications are due June 10, 2022.
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