A look at early childhood mental health
Early Childhood Mental Health refers to the developing capacity of a child from birth to age three to:
- Experience, regulate, and express emotions
- Form close and secure interpersonal relationships
- Explore the environment and learn – all in the context of family, community, and cultural expectations for young children
A young child’s behavior should be explored further if it:
- Is something that the child does not typically do; or causes parents or other caregivers to consider the child “difficult”
- Prevents a child from playing with peers or having positive interactions with adults
- Is not a one-time event, but happens often for extended periods of time with different people and in different settings
Early Childhood Mental Health consultations are available at no charge to early learning programs to:
- Observe a young child in the classroom
- Identify strengths/needs and develop an individual plan that addresses the child’s social-emotional development
- Communicate concerns to parents
- Provide a family with referral information for a child who needs specialized services