Equity

Program Planning and Reflection Tool (PPRT) This program-level online assessment tool helps users evaluate progress in key IECMHC program implementation areas while providing guidance on how to put these elements into place. An entire domain is devoted to equity and covers: developing a program-wide strategic plan; staff training; service population & service delivery; reflective supervision; and data collection. Users can complete an interactive version online, or simply download PDF versions for strategic planning. Access PDF files here: Equity PPRT Module only | Entire PPRT (all five modules).

Equity in IECMHC Webinar Series (2023-2024) This series of webinars introduces a set of resources to support infant and early childhood mental health consultants and supervisors to strengthen cultural responsiveness in IECMHC for children and families in Tribal, African American, Latin American, and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities (AANHPI).  The resources build off of the 2020 Equity in IECMHC webinar series and include promising practices aligned with the revised IECMHC Competencies to strengthen culturally and linguistically responsive IECMHC practices. 

• Equity in IECMHC Webinar 1: Countering Bias and Promoting Black Joy in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (2023) This webinar explores how infants and early childhood mental health consultants and supervisors can strengthen cultural responsiveness in IECMHC for children and families in African American communities. The resources include promising practices aligned with the Revised IECMHC Competencies to strengthen culturally and linguistically responsive IECMHC practices. This webinar is complemented by a full-length report.
• Equity in IECMHC Webinar 2: Centering Latin American Children, Families, and Communities through an Anti-racist, Trauma-informed, and Culturally-responsive Lens in IECMHC (2024) This webinar focuses on the importance of anti-racist, trauma-informed, and culturally-responsive practices for IECMH consultants, supervisors, and leaders working with Latin American children, families, and communities. This webinar is complemented by a full-length report.
• Equity in IECMHC Webinar 3: Centering Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Children and Families to Combat Racial Bias and Promote Connection and Belonging in IECMHC (2024) This is the third in the series of resources to support infant and early childhood mental health consultants and supervisors to strengthen cultural responsiveness in IECMHC for children and families in Tribal, African American, Latine, and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities (AANHPI). This third resource focuses on the importance of combating anti-AANHPI bias and promoting connection & belonging for IECMH consultants, supervisors, and leaders working with AANHPI children, families, and communities. This webinar is complemented by a full-length report.
• Webinar 4: Centering Native American Children, Families, and Communities: Cultivating Connection to Promote Healing and Wellbeing through Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (2024) This is the fourth in the series of resources to support infant and early childhood mental health consultants and supervisors to strengthen cultural responsiveness in IECMHC for children and families in Native American, African American, Latine, and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. The resources include promising practices aligned with the Revised IECMHC Competencies to strengthen culturally and linguistically responsive IECMHC practices. This fourth resource focuses on the importance of fostering connection to promote healing and wellbeing for IECMH consultants, supervisors, and leaders working with Native American children, families, and communities. This webinar is complemented by a full-length report.

Equity in IECMHC: Looking Back, Looking Forward (2023) This webinar features a panel of practitioners who are meaningfully advancing the work of equity in IECMHC programs, policies, and practice to support the social-emotional wellbeing of infants and young children.

Equity in IECMHC Webinar Series (2021) This series is designed to promote equity through IECMHC by building awareness of the impact of institutional racism and other forms of bias on the experiences of children and families from marginalized communities, identifying policies that support more equitable systems, and strengthening culturally responsive IECMHC practices that reduce disparities and improve child outcomes. The five-part series explores strategies to support IECMH consultants and supervisors in their work with children and families in Tribal, African American, Latine, and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Originally airing in 2020, it was re-aired in 2021 due to high demand, with the addition of a Q&A session for each webinar with partners from the Children’s Equity Project.

Systemic Racism and the Consultative Stance: An Equity Chat  (2021) Studies suggest that IECMHC can be an effective equity practice. This webinar explores the mechanisms that make this possible. Specifically, presenters ponder how the consultant’s way of being – the Consultative Stance – contributes to dismantling structural racism and other forms of oppression and supports equitable treatment of young children and their families.

Equity Chat Series: Unpacking the Revised Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Competencies (2021) This webinar series includes eight consecutive sessions that will delve deeper into the revised IECMHC Competencies to examine the IECMH consultant’s role in supporting equity in IECMHC. Each session focuses on a specific competency and provide examples of ways IECMH consultants can address issues of equity to disrupt bias and disparities, and improve child outcomes..

How Did We Get Here? An Overview of the Root Causes of Disparities in Child Outcomes and the Role of Child-Serving Systems (2020) During this webinar, presenters explore the historical and societal institution of racism and other forms of bias on the early care and education experiences of children and families from marginalized communities, and identify ways to address equity, bias, and disparities through an IECMHC framework.

Beyond the 101: Lesson 1 – Equity, Disparity & Bias The first lesson in the three-part “Beyond the 101” series, this online learning module provides a snapshot introduction to issues of equity, disparity, and racial bias in early care and education systems, and identifies what IECMH consultants can do to support more equitable learning environments in their work with children, families, and practitioners.

IECMHC Racial Equity Toolkit The CoE’s IECMHC Racial Equity Toolkit is a collection of videos, tools, and resources that can help consultation systems leaders and all IECMHC practitioners build capacity in understanding race and systemic racism, bias, and culturally responsive practice and meaningfully embed equity in their programs and practice. For a guided, in-depth overview of the toolkit, check out the accompanying webinar.

Race Matters Toolkit This toolkit from the Annie E. Casey Foundation is designed to help practitioners, and includes fact sheets on child and youth development, family and community success, public systems, and the cross-cutting issue of the media. It also includes resources on talking about race and features various tools, such as a tool on how to conduct racial equity impact analyses.

Centering Equity in IECMHC Resources  A set of resources to support infant and early childhood mental health consultants and supervisors to strengthen cultural responsiveness in IECMHC for children and families in Tribal, African American, Latin American, and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities (AANHPI).  These resources build off of the Equity in IECMHC webinar series and include promising practices aligned with the revised IECMHC Competencies to strengthen culturally and linguistically responsive IECMHC practices.

Key Resources for Promoting Equity and Reducing Disparities This compendium of web-based, equity-focused resources provides support for state, tribal, and community leaders who are engaged in conversations about disproportionate data on preschool expulsions and for awareness building.

Expulsion and Suspension in Early Childhood This webpage featured on the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTAC) website provides a variety of resources and guides on preventing exclusionary discipline.

Head Start Resources on Culture and Language This webpage from the Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECLKC) highlights an array of resources for providing culturally and linguistically responsive early learning experiences.

IECMHC Resources for Tribal Nations This webpage provides a collection of resources to support programs, local governments and Tribal Nations in creating better services and systems for infants, toddlers and young children and their families through an IECMHC program. For additional information on working with tribal communities, see the section below.

Promoting Black Joy and Countering Bias through Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation This is a companion resource to the 2023 webinar, “Countering Bias and Promoting Black Joy in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation,” which is part of the CoE’s Equity in IECMHC Webinar series. This brief offers strength-based strategies to support IECMH consultants and programs to create space for Black families to reclaim a sense of joy amid racial uprisings, a global pandemic, and increasing socioeconomic challenges.

PBIS Cultural Responsiveness Field Guide: Resources for Trainers and Coaches This field guide from the Center of Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports outlines an integrated framework to embed equity efforts into school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) by aligning culturally responsive practices to the core components of SWPBIS.

Pyramid Model Equity Coaching Guide This resource by the Pyramid Equity Project describes coaching strategies to support cultural and linguistically responsive practice.

Supporting Children in Foster Care through IECMHC in ECE Settings This brief focuses on how IECMHC can mitigate the challenges these children face, as well as the challenges that early childhood education (ECE) teachers and other program staff face in providing the best possible care for them.

Defining Disproportionate Discipline This resource from the Pyramid Equity Project describes common measures of disproportionality in the context of discipline.

Cultural and Linguistic Competence Self-Assessment Checklists for Early Head Start and Head Start Program Administrators and Managers These tools are designed to assist managers and administrators in assessing the extent to which they demonstrate integration of cultural and linguistic competence into values, attitudes, communication styles, and the physical environment. Additional self-assessment items address approaches to support staff and consultants in their journey towards cultural and linguistic competence.  For a PDF compilation of all checklists, click here.

Cultural and Linguistic Competence Self-Assessment Checklists for Early Head Start and Head Start Programs The intent of these tools is to increase awareness and sensitivity of administrators, program managers, and staff to the importance of cultural diversity and cultural and linguistic competence in Head Start and Early Head Start programs. For a PDF compilation of all checklists, click here.

Preventing Discrimination and Promoting Diversity – American Psychological Association (APA) Taskforce Report This APA report offers evidence and examples of structural systems, organizational policies, small-group and family dynamics, and individual-level behaviors and attitudes that create or exacerbate discrimination and proposes strategies that can begin to address discrimination and its effects.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Equity Position Statement This position statement is one of five foundational documents NAEYC has developed to support the early childhood education profession. With its specific focus on advancing equity in early childhood education, this statement complements and supports the other foundational documents that (1) define developmentally appropriate practice, (2) set professional standards and competencies for early childhood educators, (3) define the profession’s code of ethics, and (4) outline standards for early learning programs.

Diversity-Informed Tenets for Working with Infants, Families and Young Children The Diversity-Informed Tenets are guiding principles created to encourage the infant mental health field to intentionally and mindfully engage in standards of practice that promote and strive for a just and equitable society.

IECMHC Resources for Tribal Nations This webpage provides a collection of resources to support programs, local governments and tribal nations in creating better services and systems for infants, toddler and young children and their families through an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation program.

Culture, Identity, and History as Sources of Strength and Resilience for Tribal Communities This webinar, which is part of the CoE’s Equity in IECMHC series, examines issues of racialized inequities and bias in the early care and education experiences of tribal communities, explores traditional practices and their role in healing and resilience, examines the commonalities of IECMHC and traditional practices; and identifies practices and policies to strengthen cultural responsiveness in IECMHC for tribal communities, in order to reduce disparities and support children’s healthy development. Webinar Handout | Webinar Resource 1 : Long Walk of the Navajo: The 1864 Encounter at Hweeldi and Its Impacts on Dinetah | Webinar Resource 2: Seasons of a Navajo 1983

Overview of IECMHC Within Tribal Communities This brief outlines general and specific considerations for IECMHC within tribal communities.

Key IECMHC Resources for Tribal Communities This brief provides resources for tribal, state, and community leaders seeking to implement IECMHC within tribal communities.

Tip Sheet: How to Support a Mental Health Consultant Who is New to Your Tribal Community This resource provides strategies for tribal communities and/or programs that are starting work with a mental health consultant who is new to the community.