Many ECE professionals have heard terms like Infant Mental Health or Early Childhood Mental Health (often abbreviated to IMH or ECMH respectively), but what do they really mean? If you are interested in learning more about these topics, you might enjoy the video and resource list below.
What is Infant Mental Health? A youtube video in which Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician, Sherri Alderman, gives a brief overview of this field.
How to Talk About Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: An infographic from ZERO TO THREE that provides the definition of IECMH and illustrates how all service areas touching the life of a child play a role in supporting social and emotional development.
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Toolbox from the American Academy of Pediatrics: A PDF with a variety of resources for parents and caregivers, including COVID-19 resources, tips for supporting social-emotional development, mindfulness and relaxed breathing training, calming exercises, and more.
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Policy Series from ZERO TO THREE: A series of short briefing papers on infant and early childhood mental health. Each paper provides an overview of the topic, a summary of key terms, and policy recommendations.
