The Impact of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation in Early Education 

November 5, 2024

States nationwide recognize the importance of infant and early childhood mental health and are striving to support the well-being of infants, toddlers, and young children through accessible, high-quality professional development and support for early care program leaders and staff.  

In California, the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) Network provides consultation services, supports, and resources to child care and early education center-based program staff; family child care home providers; and family, friend, and neighbor caregivers.  

The IECMHC Network is a professional development project funded by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and is coordinated by WestEd within the Early Childhood Intervention, Mental Health, and Inclusion team. 

In this Q&A, Jennifer Miller, Program Director within the Early Childhood Intervention, Mental Health, and Inclusion team, provides insights on how the IECMHC Network works to support improved outcomes for young children and the adults who care for them.  

What is infant and early childhood mental health? 

Infant and early childhood mental health is the foundation of young children’s ability to feel and express emotions, form secure relationships, and explore their world. This growth is shaped by family, community, and cultural influences, which together foster social and emotional development and lay the groundwork for lifelong learning and resilience. 

About 40 years ago, professionals who focused on the physical and medical needs of infants recognized the essential yet often overlooked importance of addressing the whole child—especially an infant’s emotional needs.  

As research in this area evolved, it revealed the critically important nature of the first years of life and the profound effects of early parent-infant relationships on resiliency, health, self-regulation, and attachment. This growing body of knowledge led leaders in the field of infant and early childhood mental health to recognize that families and providers who care for young children benefit from support provided by specialists who can understand and address the whole child within the context of their relationships. This understanding sparked a series of initiatives aimed at identifying the specific knowledge and skills needed to provide effective services for young children and their caregivers. These efforts focus on high-quality professional development and support for reflective practice. 

What we’re finding from the interdisciplinary field of infant and early childhood mental health is something many practitioners and parents have always known: The quality of early relationships is a two-way street. To strengthen relational health, supports and resources must be in place for both caregivers and children. We need to weave together early childhood systems to improve early relational experiences around the child, early relational supports for the family, and early relational ecosystems in communities (Li & Ramirez, 2023). 

What is infant and early childhood mental health consultation? 

According to the Harvard University Center on the Developing Child, young children’s social and emotional well-being is closely linked to the emotional health of the adults caring for them. When children have stable, nurturing relationships with their caregivers, it sets them up for success as they transition to kindergarten and beyond. However, child care and early education program leaders, teachers, and providers often struggle to support the children in their care. For example, young children are three times more likely to be expelled from preschool than their older peers in K–12, with young boys and girls of color disproportionally suspended and expelled (Meek & Gilliam, 2016). Early behavioral challenges can lead to long-term negative outcomes, so it’s vital for caregivers to get the support they need to meet all children’s diverse learning and care needs.  

One promising approach to tackle these challenges is infant and early childhood mental health consultation, or IECMHC. This process pairs mental health consultants with child care staff to provide relationship- and strength-based problem-solving support. Through these reflective conversations with an IECMH consultant, providers/staff consider the meaning of young children’s behavior and how their own experiences and beliefs impact the way they respond to children. IECMH consultants also help providers/staff develop effective classroom and/or program management and relationship-building strategies to respond more intentionally and effectively to behavior they find challenging, which builds their confidence in working with children and families. 

A key component of the IECMHC Network’s consultation model is the consultative stance—or the ability of the IECMH consultant to demonstrate interest, empathy, respect, and understanding and hold space for providers/staff. This approach encourages staff to think deeply about their interactions with children, identify effective strategies, and explore the emotional aspects of their work. Importantly, the relationship between the consultant and the staff creates a parallel process that positively influences how staff engage with children and families in their care.  

Research shows that IECMHC can make a significant impact. In one study, teachers who took part in IECMHC with reflective consultation saw noticeable improvements in their interactions with children compared to where they started (Virmani et al., 2013). A broader review of 14 studies showed that these services consistently helped reduce behavioral issues reported by staff (Perry et al., 2010). And another review of 26 studies found that IECMHC boosted staff confidence and skills when it came to managing challenging behaviors in young kids (Brennan et al., 2008).

The IECMHC Network: Connect. Reflect. Grow. 

Using a tiered system of support framework, the IECMHC Network offers an array of infant and early childhood mental health consultation services, supports, and resources available at no cost to all child care and early education providers across California. The IECMHC Network also administers California’s Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Training Program to build the workforce capacity of IECMH consultants with specialized expertise who may work independently or embedded within agencies or programs across the state. 

To prioritize the relational health of young children and the adults who care for them, while addressing the long-standing racial and social inequities in the child care and early education system worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDSS funded the California IECMHC Network at WestEd. This initiative is part of the California Child Development Fund (CCDF) Plan, supported by Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funding.  

Through a tiered system of support, the California IECMHC Network provides access to a suite of services that address a continuum of promotion and preventative interventions and are geared toward fostering the social, emotional, and relational health and well-being of young children and the adults who care for them. Areas of support include the following: 

• promoting positive relational and mental health of young children and the adults who care for them 
• addressing behaviors that providers find challenging or concerning 
• focusing on relationships and practices that buffer against stress and trauma 
• developing program cultures that promote the well-being of providers, young children, and families 
• building the statewide workforce capacity of IECMH consultants 

The IECMHC Network model of classroom and programmatic IECMHC is grounded in the Diversity-Informed Tenets of Infant Mental Health, Reflective Practice, and the Consultative Stance. IECMHC Network services are provided by qualified personnel with specialized expertise and a parallel process of consultant supports to deliver IECMHC services across California, with services available to providers/staff both synchronously and asynchronously, in English and Spanish, in both in-person and virtual formats. 

References 

Harvard University Center on the Developing Child. (2023). In brief: The science of early childhood development. https://harvardcenter.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/InBrief-The-Science-of-Early-Childhood-Development2.pdf = 

Li, J., & Ramirez, T. (2023). Early relational health: A review of research, principles, and perspectives. The Burke Foundation. 

Meek, S. E., & Gilliam, W. S. (2016). Expulsion and suspension in early education as matters of social justice and health equity. NAM Perspectives. 

Perry, D. F., Allen, M. D., Brennan, E. M., & Bradley, J. R. (2010). The evidence base for mental health consultation in early childhood settings: A research synthesis addressing children’s behavioral outcomes. Early Education & Development, 21(6), 795–824. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409280903475444 

Brennan, E. M., Bradley, J. R., Allen, M. D., & Perry, D. F. (2008). The evidence base for mental health consultation in early childhood settings: Research synthesis addressing staff and program outcomes. Early Education and Development, 19(6), 982–1022.

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