Social & Emotional Health in Early Childhood

Social-emotional health is one of the most critical factors in a child's development and school readiness--a factor that depends on weaving effective mental health services into other systems and programs that support young children.

With this groundbreaking guide to systems development, professionals will discover how to improve young children's outcomes by building sturdy bridges between mental health and medical, educational, and social services.

Combining the research and guidance of more than two dozen leading experts in early childhood and mental health, this book helps practitioners

• make the most of the powerful, complex link between social-emotional health and school readiness
• infuse mental health services and supports into pediatric primary care settings, child care centers, early intervention programs, and preschool classrooms
• understand and implement the nuts and bolts of successful, integrated service systems, from strategic planning to workforce development
• evaluate the effectiveness of early childhood mental health services and supports
• learn valuable lessons from the most successful state and local programs
• implement effective, evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies for children at risk for social-emotional and behavior problems
• encourage resilience in young children and families

Brief, vivid stories throughout the book illustrate how mental health services help children and families at risk, and two extended real-life case studies give readers an inside look at effective early childhood mental health systems, including structure, financing, and outcomes evaluation.

With this comprehensive, research-based book, practitioners and policy makers will learn how to make mental health services and supports an integral part of every early childhood setting--and ensure better social-emotional and academic outcomes for all young children.

Learn more about the Systems of Care for Children's Mental Health series.