Facts In Action

The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) has issued a guide outlining how to develop policies and practices that promote healthy emotional development in children at risk of poor cognitive, social, and behavioral outcomes.

The NCCP guide highlights four goals for any early childhood mental health strategy:

• Enhance the emotional and behavioral well-being of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, particularly from impoverished backgrounds, to promote early school success;

• Help parents be more effective nurturers;

• Give non-family caregivers the skills needed to promote children's emotional well-being;

• Ensure that seriously troubled young children are referred to intensive treatment if needed.

To meet these goals, a broad array of services is needed. However, the NCCP guide stresses that an effective program to promote the emotional health of young children does not necessarily require additional funding. Instead, by creating alliances and building on community strengths and assets, this important component of school readiness can be addressed using existing resources.

Source:
Building Services and Systems to Support the Healthy Emotional Development of Young Children: An Action Guide for Policymakers, J. Knitzer, National Center for Children in Poverty, 2001.

For more information:
contact Jane Knitzer, c/o The National Center for Children in Poverty, 154 Haven Avenue, NY, NY 10032, or call (212) 304-7100.

Facts in Action, February 2002