Early Childhood

Nationwide, communities, states, territories, and tribes are pioneering new ways to promote young child wellness through Project LAUNCH, a federal initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Project LAUNCH sites increase and improve evidence-based programs for children (0–8) and families and strengthen collaboration among child-serving organizations so that all children enter school ready to succeed.

Download an infographic that provides an overview of Project LAUNCH, a map of grantees, and evaluation findings.

Washington, D.C. Project LAUNCH summaries the implementation, evaluation, lessons learned, and recommendations of the Healthy Futures mental health consultation program in 25 community-based child development centers.

Oklahoma Project LAUNCH collaborates with the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) to make great strides to promote awareness and the impact of infant mental health in their communities and across the state.

Cherokee Nation Illustrates ‘Serve and Return’ and the importance of everyday moments and experiences by watching as a young Cherokee father and his 20-month old daughter engage in responsive and individualized dialogue and interactions.

Maryland Project LAUNCH shares a brief fact sheet about challenging behaviors in early childhood.

Maryland Project LAUNCH provides a one-page summary of the impacts of challenging behaviors on an individual child, his/her family, relationships, and experiences.

Maryland Project LAUNCH describes the benefits of play for children's early development.

New Hampshire Project LAUNCH provides a variety of printed materials, a PowerPoint presentation, and examples of outreach activities to help build awareness of the importance of early childhood.

Vermont Project LAUNCH provides quarterly policy briefs from Building Bright Futures. Topics include bullying prevention, adverse effects of child neglect, and health and educational disparities in young children.