PowerPoint for Featured Speaker

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Parents as Leaders in Early Childhood:
Creating Change so ALL Children Succeed
SPAN- START Project Regional Conferences- April 2016
What is Happening for Infants and
Young Children in New Jersey?:
What Parents Need to Know
Adam DiBella, MSCE, M.Ed., IMH-E IV and
Lorri Sullvan, M.Ed, IMH-E IV
Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health
A LOT IS HAPPENING!!!! Some of the picture!
 New Jersey Council for Young Children
 Race to the Top- Early Learning Challenge
 Central Intake Units
 Essex Project LAUNCH
 County Councils for Young Children
 Grow NJ KIDS and Regional Technical Assistance Centers
 The Pyramid Model
 Keeping Babies and Children in Mind
 NJ-AIMH Competency Guidelines and Endorsement System

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Some Sobering Facts
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Children who are identified as hard to manage
at ages 3 and 4 have a high probability (50:50)
of continuing to have difficulties into
adolescence
(Campbell & Ewing, 1990; Egeland et al., 1990;
Fischer, Rolf, Hasazi, & Cummings, 1984). 4

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Of the young children who show early signs of
challenging behavior, it has been estimated
that fewer than 10% receive services for these
difficulties.
(Kazdin & Kendall, 1998) 5
Preschool children are three
times more likely to be
“expelled” then children in
grades K-12
(Gilliam, 2005)
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Why Focus on Social Emotional
Development?
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Imagine that you had all the resources that
you need to make this community a great
place to live and a great place to raise kids. . .

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Infant Mental Health
Infant and early childhood mental health
 is concerned with the optimal physical, social, emotional,
and cognitive development of the young child (birth
through eight years old) within the context of his/her
family.
 It also investigates and honors the relationships – in the
home and community - that are considered crucial to the
child’s neurological, physical, emotional, and social
development which are the foundation for all later
developmental progress.
Infant Mental Health
Infant and early childhood mental health

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Least attention is paid
to early relationships
that form the human
mind and brain
In 2010, the New Jersey
Council for Young Children
was created by Executive
Order to serve as the
Governor’s State Advisory
Council for Early Education
and Care as authorized
under the Improving Head
Start for School Readiness
Act of 2007.

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Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
$44.3 Million for NJ
Purpose: to improve
program quality and
services coordination for
infants, young children
and their families to
maximize infants and
young children’s learning
and development,
starting during pregnancy
County Councils for Young Children
 County-level parent-led Councils for Young Children in all
21 counties
 Funding supports early education systems development
 Forum for parents/families and other community
stakeholders
 Identify/discuss the needs, concerns, aspirations and
successes regarding health, education and well-being of
their children

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Parent Leadership
LEADERSHIP is a combination of Mindset, Behaviors,
Skills, and a Cause.
LEADERSHIP is more
an Attitude
than it is a
Position.
Central Intake Units
Why is Central Intake Important?
Integrate health care, child care, education and family support
services - Pregnancy to age 8… such as Home Visiting,
Improving Pregnancy Outcomes, Help Me Grow, and Project
Launch and other community-based services…
Central tracking reduces duplication of services
Support families to… improve prenatal care, birth outcomes,
early learning, medical home, preventative care and other
supports
Strengthen communities to… prevent Infant Mortality and Child
Abuse & Neglect
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Essex Project LAUNCH Programs and Initiatives
- Newark, Irvington, East Orange, Orange
NJ Project Launch
 Essex Parenting and Pregnancy Connections (EPPC) - Essex County Central
Intake – access and linkages to EC programs and services
 Educating Physicians in the Community (EPIC) - promotion of developmental
screening within (5) Physician Practices
 Promoting healthy social emotional development through Evidence Based
Practices (EBPs):
 Montclair State University - Circle of Security, Zippy’s Friends & Brazelton
Touch points
 Family Connections - Incredible Years
 MCH Partnership - Active Parenting
 La Casa de Don Pedro - Legacy for Children
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6/23/2016
Common standards across all
of our agencies through Grow
NJ Kids, our Quality Rating
Improvement System!

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Grow NJ Kids
http://www.grownjkids.com/Welcome
 Road map to achieving quality for early learning and care
providers
 Sequenced levels of evidence-based practices in health, family
and community engagement, early learning and assessment,
workforce development and administrative practices
 Assistance and resources to help sites progress through the 5
levels
 Incentives for participation
 Rating processes
 Evaluation of efficacy of the system
 Outreach to ensure provider and family participation
Keeping Babies and Children in Mind- KCBM
State-supported
May 2014- and ongoing. Center for Autism and Early Childhood
Mental Health at Montclair State University offers a series of trainings
for professionals who work with infants, toddlers, young children and
their families (pregnancy thru age eight), initially in the 10 counties
most affected by Superstorm Sandy, now statewide.
 Staff from all sectors of public and private infant/child/school and
family programs are invited to attend, including home visiting,
childcare centers, Early Head Start/Head Start, Early Intervention,
family child care providers, preschools, Family Outreach Program,
Parent Linking Program, Project TEACH, Family Success Centers,
elementary schools, and child welfare offices.

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Goals of KBCM
 To “raise the floor” of knowledge and practice for
all who work with infants, toddlers, children and
families.
 To emphasize the interpersonal process – especially
affect, gesture, movement, pacing, voice – in
promoting human development AND in responding
to infants, children and families surrounding trauma.
 To provide core knowledge in 7 critical domains of
“knowing”
 To promote “transformative” thinking and acting in
participants.
21 Hours Series
Seven, 3-hour sessions
1. In the Beginning: What Happens Early Matters
2. Infant and Early Childhood Development
3. The Language of Behavior
4. Encountering Early Stress and the Power of
Meaningful Connections
5. Relationship-based Practices
6. Me, My Family, My Community
7. Reflective Practices: Caring for Ourselves

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Next
HERE WE ARE!!!
 KBCM continues and has expanded
statewide
 Integrated with Pyramid Model work in
NJ and the TA/Grow NJ Kids (QRIS)
system unfolding in NJ.
 IMH Endorsements are growing
 Part of a growing IECMH/S-E system in
NJ!
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http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/
The
Pyramid
Model

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Evolution of The Teaching Pyramid
Supportive Environments
Building Positive Relationships with
Children, Families and Other Professionals
Social Emotional
Teaching Strategies
(PBS)
Individualized
Intensive
Interventions
Tertiary
Secondary
Universal
The Pyramid Model
CSEFEL
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early
Learning (CSEFEL) is focused on promoting the social emotional
development and school readiness of young children birth to
age 5. CSEFEL was a national resource center funded by the
Office of Head Start and Child Care Bureau for disseminating
research and evidence-based practices to early childhood
programs across the country.
Housed at Vanderbilt University, it remains as the Pyramid Model
following the end of the CSEFEL funding.

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To promote the Pyramid Model
throughout New Jersey
 In 2015- A Cadre of 12 Master Trainers were trained in the Pyramid
Model. This includes targeted education in four domains:
 Infants
 Preschool
 Families
 Coaching
 Currently, under the leadership of the Center for Autism and
Early Childhood Mental Health at Montclair State University
 Three levels of delivery: 6-hour Pyramid Model Framework
Overview; Demonstration Classroom Sites, and Pyramid Model
Implementation Sites
Introduction to the New Jersey
Association for Infant Mental Health
Endorsement System (NJ-AIMH IMH-E®)
ENDORSEMENT FOR CULTURALLY SENSITIVE, RELATIONSHIP-
FOCUSED PRACTICE PROMOTING INFANT MENTAL HEALTH

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The New Jersey Association for Infant
Mental Health (NJ–AIMH)
 The New Jersey Association for Infant Mental Health is the
statewide organization for multidisciplinary professionals
who work to support the relational and emotional
development of families from pregnancy through early
childhood.
 We promote the formation and development of
multidisciplinary professionals in this field, create
supportive partnerships with families, and collaborate
with state-wide stakeholders to advance policies
towards the betterment of infants, toddlers, young
children and their families in New Jersey.
What is the intent of Endorsement?
 The intent of the NJ-AIMH Endorsement
(IMH-E®) is to recognize and document
the development of infant and family
professionals within an organized
system of culturally sensitive,
relationship-based, infant mental
health learning and work experiences.

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NJ-AIMH
Four Levels
of the New Jersey Association for Infant Mental Health Culturally Sensitive,
Relationship-focused Competency Guidelines and Endorsement System for
Work with Infants, Toddlers, Children, Parents, Other Caregivers and Families.
(Level I) (Level II) Level III) (Level IV)
Infant Family
Associate
Infant Family
Specialist
Infant Mental
Health
Specialist
Infant Mental
Health
Mentor
Regional Technical Assistance Centers
Supporting GROW NJ KIDS
 Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey (PCANJ - Northeast
and Central Regions – Colleen Hicks
 Central New Jersey Family Heath Consortium -Northern
Region - Eve Robinson)
 Atlantic County Women’s Shelter - Southern Region -
Dana Hicks
Supported by the MSU Center for Autism and Early
Childhood Mental Health in the areas of Socio-Emotional
Development and Inclusion/Individual Differences!

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So remember:
5 Ideas Worth Rejecting About Infants
and Young Children!
They’re too young.
They’ll get over it
They won’t notice the difference.
They’ll get used to it.
They’ll never remember.

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Center for Autism and Early
Childhood Mental Health
Montclair State University
College of Education and Human Services
14 Normal Avenue
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey 07043
973-655-6675
Fax: 973-655-5376
Email: costag@mail.montclair.edu
Website: www.montclair.edu