Provides national data showing how health care, family, and community factors are related to mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders in early childhood. Findings highlight specific factors that could be addressed through efforts at national, state and local levels.
Describes Colorado's work to promote early childhood social and emotional development through the use of mental health consultants in schools and child care programs.
Considers the role of educational attainment, degree type (e.g., concentration or major in early childhood or a related field), years of experience, and training. The brief concludes with implications for future research, as well as for policy and practice.
Provides an overview of the qualifications and the professional development activities of the nation’s infant/toddler workforce, based on representative data collected by the National Survey of Early Care and Education.
Analyzes the experiences of a sample of Project LAUNCH grantees, describing 10 common elements of integration approaches and exploring some of the challenges of promoting health and preventing social, emotional, and behavioral challenges at a population level.
Explores interventions in early childhood that can help prevent drug use and other unhealthy behaviors. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, provides research-based principles that affect a child's self-control and overall mental health, starting during pregnancy through the eighth year of life. It recognizes that while substance use generally begins during the teen years, it has known biological, psychological, social, and environmental roots that begin even before birth.
Summarizes research about infant and toddler development, highlighting areas that are foundational for later school success. The report serves as a guide for programs to inform their practices and policies and to help programs think about their own theories of change and what outcomes they are most focused on improving for young children.
Shares the story of the Tribal Home Visiting Program implementation since 2010 as it has expanded home visiting services in tribal communities, serving 1,523 families and providing nearly 20,000 home visits, highlighting successes and areas of improvement.
Explores opportunities, considerations, and methods for using storytelling to understand and communicate information about social service programs in tribal communities.
ACF announced a new Policy Statement on Early Childhood Career Pathways as part of their focus on elevating the early childhood workforce in policy and practice.
