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KAIMH Connections
Resources for Early Childhood Mental Health Advocates
Updates | April 2024
Highlights in this newsletter include KAIMH conference info (registration closes April 9th), additional professional development opportunities, a free brain building resource for families, our newest Infant Mental Health Endorsees and more!
Barbara Stroud, PhD, has a background in culturally informed mental health practice. She has worked in the field for over 30 years and is well respected for her dedication to issues of equity in the work. Dr. Stroud is a Zero To Three Fellow and recipient of the Bruce D. Perry Spirit of the Child Award.
She is presenting, "Relationships, Regulation, and Resilience", on Thursday, April 18th. The developmental and social political outcomes of the COVID pandemic remain. The impact of stress and isolation has been seen in children, caregivers, and the provider communities. When the world around us seems unpredictable, we return to the foundations of relationship and regulation as tools to build resilience. In this full day training we will begin with the significant influences of relationship as they impact development, culture, self-understanding, and school readiness.
Dr. Melissa Hoffman, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, PMH-C, has dedicated her career to promoting maternal and child health and wellness. She works as a reproductive Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse and is a national speaker on the topics of perinatal mental health, perinatal psychopharmacology, and perinatal peer support.
She is presenting, "Perinatal Peer Support: An Essential Component of Care", and "Perinatal Mental Health 101", on Friday, April 19th. A good support system is vital during the postpartum period and has been shown to decrease the risk for maternal mental health disorders and increase general maternal wellness. A crucial part of the postpartum support system includes quality childcare. Due to lack of paid maternity or paternity leave, many parents are forced to return to work in the early weeks postpartum, which may increase the risk of mental health complications. Childcare providers are an essential link of support for these parents. These sessions will give attendees a basic overview of perinatal mental and substance use disorders and provide accessible resources providers and the families they serve.
Breakout Sessions Friday, April 19th
Perinatal Mental Health 101
Making Space for Reflective Supervision
Impacts of Covid on Language Development
Birth Equity & Infant Mental Health
HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences)
Utilizing Self-Care to Strengthen Daily Practices
Implementing PAX Tools: Strategies to Improve Cooperation and Self-Control in Children
Scholarships to cover registration and travel costs for early educators, and anyone whose work directly supports licensed child care professionals, are available at Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities.
Medicaid Expansion Discussions
Thrive Kansas and United Methodist Health Ministry Fund hosted community conversations last year to discuss the future of rural health care and Medicaid expansion in Atchison, Colby, Dodge City, Hays and Pittsburg. Discussions centered around the strict limits for qualifying for Medicaid (an uninsured single parent with two children must earn less than $4.75 an hour to qualify for Medicaid), and how an expansion would increase eligibility for health care from $9,446 to $34,307 yearly income for a family of three. To read more, click here.
Black Maternal Health Week
This year marks the 7th Annual Black Maternal Health Week, which will be held from April 11-17, 2024. The purpose of #BMHW24 is to highlight efforts led by @BlackMamasMatterAlliance (BMMA), and collectively work toward a future where ALL Black Mamas have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive throughout their lives-including in their reproductive years. To download the toolkit, click here.
Congratulations to our newest Infant Mental Health Endorsees!
Whitney Smith, IMH-E, Hilltop Child Development Center
Whitney says, “I have been teaching children for 18 years and the past 15 of those 18 years have been spent teaching infants to three-year-olds. Early childhood education and intervention are my passion. Obtaining my Infant Mental Health Endorsement was important to me as I continue to work with children, parents, and teachers in my new administrative role. I am excited to spread awareness about infant and early childhood mental health and promote healthy social and emotional development. I look forward to being a resource to all the families and teachers I cross paths with in the years to come.”
Lisa Harder, IMH-E, Kansas Children's Service League
Lisa says, "I am a mother of 4 and a grandmother of 3. I have been working with children for over 25 years and find that this is where my heart is. Working with infants, toddlers and families has been such a rewarding experience for me and, along with multiple training opportunities, is where I have learned so much about infant/early childhood social, emotional, and mental health. To me, being endorsed in infant mental health represents all of my valuable trainings and experiences that have led to increased confidence and competence in promoting infant mental health in my field."
Melinda Pratt, IMH-E, R&R Collaborative Therapy
Melinda says, "Having this endorsement signifies to me my commitment to infant child mental health, and to educating others on how to support the mental health needs of infants and young children. I often here people say "they need to learn to calm themselves" when what they should be saying is "we need to teach them how..." We need to be there to support, encourage and help build those skills of emotional regulation, communication, coping skills, self esteem and more. If we don't how will they learn?"
Jessie Owen, IMH-E, Kansas Children's Service League
Jessie says, "I am a mother to three young children and have been working with children since I graduated from college in 2018, Working with infants and young children is such a rewarding experience and obtaining my KAIMH Endorsement was an important step in my professional growth. I am excited to spread awareness about infant mental health because it is important at all ages and stages of life."
Free Interactive App - Vroom
Vroom® empowers parents and caregivers to play a proactive role in their children’s early brain development. This free app connects caregivers with simple, interactive games that fit into their daily lives. Each "tip" includes the brain science behind the activity and giving parents encouragement and acknowledgement to continue building their children's brain development. To learn more, visit www.vroom.org
April - May Professional Development
Check out these upcoming professional development opportunities that support your Infant Mental Health Endorsement® from the Early Childhood Investigations Webinars, Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities, Kansas Children's Service League, and Child Care Aware network.
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