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A Focus on Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health


February 2025

Take Care of Yourself

This newsletter focuses on sharing information on infant/early childhood mental health and the importance of relationship-based approaches and supports that help infants and young children feel safe, supported, and valued by the adults around them. The newsletter, and the Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) program, is made possible by a partnership between the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the Pennsylvania Key.

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Welcome

As caregivers, it is easy to get so caught up in making sure everyone around us is well that we forget to take care of ourselves. However, as the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup. This means we cannot effectively give to others without caring for ourselves. While prioritizing ourselves may not come naturally, it is imperative to do so. Everyone in our orbit will be better for it! 

Did You Know?

Those who care for children often experience significant stress, whether it’s the everyday stress of being responsible for many things at once (job, family, multiple children, household chores, etc.), seasonal stress (holidays, winter blues), or significant stress due to family crises, military deployment, financial problems, etc. While we know that some stress is a normal part of being human and is even healthy, we also know that when caregivers experience much stress, it has a negative impact on the children in their care. This impact can manifest in immediate behavior problems as well as longer-term mental health issues, underscoring the importance of self-care and stress management. Read more to understand the full extent of this impact.

Caregiver Wellbeing

Taking Care of Yourself. Amid our busy lives, we all need a reminder to take a step back and breathe! This vibrant infographic serves as a visual to help us be the calm and steady pilot in the middle of unpredictable turbulence.


Self-Care for Teachers. Wonder what to do when your buttons are pushed? This colorful, two-page infographic details how to be intentional with your response before it happens, during, and after the behavior has occurred.

 

Pause – Reset – Nourish (PRN) to Promote Wellbeing. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network created a framework that allows us to use the Pause–Reset–Nourish approach as a self-care strategy to de-stress. Learn how to pause to check in with yourself, reset with a calm task, and nourish with something positive to focus on. 

Mindfulness for Caregivers

Mindfulness for Early Childhood Professionals. Mindfulness is a process of intentionally bringing our attention to what’s happening in the present moment with acceptance and openness. It means being curious and not judging our feelings or experiences.

 

The Benefits of Mindfulness. 1:56 Learn the many benefits of mindfulness for preschool teachers and how it positively impacts learning in the classroom. Watch this video clip to learn more!

 

Mindfulness: A Resilience Practice. This handout introduces six simple practices and exercises for the mindful caregiver, designed to make you feel at ease and comfortable in your teaching practices.

Managing Stress and Burnout

Managing Stress and Burnout in the Early Childhood Education Field. Explore 10 strategies for managing stress in this resource! Discover the importance of self-care, mindfulness, setting boundaries, and seeking professional support to ensure the well-being and productivity of educators.

 

5 Easy Steps for Helping Early Childhood Educators De-stress. This straightforward resource shares five practical tips that can easily be implemented to help early childhood educators de-stress and not burn out! A former preschool teacher and two Harvard students in the School of Education wrote it

Building Resilience

Simple Tips for Boosting Teacher Resilience. These quick and easy tips help build resilience and relieve stress as an educator. By implementing these strategies, you can boost your energy reserves and start feeling the benefits immediately, helping you to make it through the rest of the year with renewed strength and resilience!

 

DARS Checklist/Resilience/Devereux. This enlightening survey helps us reflect on our capacity for resilience within ourselves. Analyze your strengths to cope with adversity and daily stressors of life.

 

Nefertiti’s tips to nurture resilience are theoretical, practical, and actionable. Early childhood specialist and national trainer Dr. Poyner provides inspirational and educational video clips from the Devereux Center for Resilient Children. In her quick chats, you can learn about empathy, self-reflection, flexibility, rituals, and more, and immediately apply these strategies in your daily life!

Office Hours

IECMH Consultation helps adults strengthen their relationships with young children and build capacity to respond to children’s social-emotional needs. IECMHC can help reduce caregiver stress and increase caregivers’ reflective practice skills.

 

IECMH Consultants are available by appointment to provide IECMHC Virtual Office Hours consultation via telephone or video conference. IECMHC Virtual Office Hours is a short-term, collaborative, problem-solving conversation to help you find the next steps for Child Social-Emotional Concerns | Child Behavioral or Developmental Concerns, Emotional Well-being of Teachers and Caregivers | Partnering with Families.

 

Appointments are held on the first and third Fridays of the month or other days/times by request.  Get more info.

Accessing IECMHC Services

The Pennsylvania Key has streamlined the process for Keystone STARS programs to request Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC). Child care providers can request services by using the Request for Service Form (PDF). Completed forms can be submitted via email to PAIECMH@pakeys.org or faxed to 717-213-3749.

 

Programs and families can contact the program leadership directly at PAIECMH@pakeys.org with questions or concerns.

Accessing SACCMHC Services

With the generous support of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), the Pennsylvania Key IECMH Consultation team has expanded to include four mental Health consultants to support School Age Child Care (SACC) programs participating in Keystone STARS.  This service will be primarily tele-consultation support. Click here to request support.  Click here to request support.

 

Share your feedback! We'd like to hear your thoughts on infant early childhood mental health. Are there resources you'd like to see? Questions you have? Tell us! Send your feedback to PAIECMH@pakeys.org.

Share your feedback! We'd like to hear what you think about infant early childhood mental health.

Are there resources you'd like to see? Questions you have? Tell us! Send your feedback to PAIECMH@pakeys.org.