WHO WE ARE

The Center of Excellence for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Consultation (CoE) is a national center designed to promote the mental health of young children, their families and staff in early childhood settings across the country through high-quality infant and early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC). The Center aims to impact the field of IECMHC by supporting the growth and advancement of the profession through training, technical assistance and resource development.

Equity is a central component of IECMHC. Every individual who is part of the IECMHC system has an important role to play in battling racism and promoting fair, positive, and equitable learning experiences for children and families. Through our work, the CoE helps IECMHC leaders and practitioners understand race and systemic racism, bias, and culturally responsive practice, and how to meaningfully embed equity in their programs and practice.

OUR CORE VALUES

• Equity and diversity is central to IECMHC
• The mental health of young children is intertwined with the well-being of their caregivers
• IECMH consultants require support to develop skills and knowledge
• IECMHC services must be based on the best available research
• IECMHC must be part of the Early Childhood System of Care

WHAT WE DO

The CoE advances equity and strengthens the capacity of mental health consultants and IECMHC programs through the following pathways:

Programmatic Support: Through educational sessions, webinars, presentations, and other targeted approaches, the CoE provides technical assistance (TA) to state, local, territory, tribal, and national stakeholders in enhancing their IECMHC programs. To request individualized programmatic TA, please complete this form.

Professional Development: The CoE provides professional development resources and training opportunities for current and aspiring IECMH consultants. This work is guided by a set of national IECMHC competencies developed by Georgetown University and updated by CoE staff and colleagues.

IECMHC Clearinghouse: The CoE serves as the clearinghouse for best practice resources related to developing, implementing and maintaining an IECMHC program at a national, state, territorial, community or tribal level. Explore resources here.

Fostering Connections: The CoE circulates resources and promotes networking among IECMHC professionals through its conferences, listserv, virtual community platform, and newsletter – the IECMHC Connector.

For more information about the Center, download our two-page factsheet.

IMPACT

Since the Center launched in September 2019, it has had a significant impact on the IECMHC field. Specifically, the CoE has:

• disseminated over 70 reports, training modules, informational videos and other resources;
• hosted over 30 webinars and two national conferences; and
• registered over 11,000 subscribers to its listserv, which raises awareness of IECMHC best practices and opportunities for professional development.

The Georgetown University Center for Child & Human Development operates the Center of Excellence for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation in partnership with Tulane University, the Children’s Equity Project housed at Arizona State University, and other IECMHC national leaders. The CoE for IECMHC is funded by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration under grant number 1H79SM082070-01.

^{This product was developed [in part] under grant number 1H79SM082070-01 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views, policies and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS.}