Updates |  August 2024

Highlights in this newsletter include information on the impact of cell phone usage on children's language development, August professional development opportunities, inequities in access to early education, updates with IMH-Endorsement®, strategies to counter implicit bias, and more!

Inequities in Access to Early Childhood Education Among Black Children

Research from Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University and the Equity Research Action Coalition at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute indicates that Black children have been disproportionately enrolled in Head Start programs compared to other eligible children. Only 54% of the Black preschoolers eligible for Head Start were served in 2019. Additionally, Black families are the least likely of Head Start-eligible families to have a Head Start center in their immediate neighborhood. There are additional components of early care and education that disproportionately impact black children, including access to early intervention and special education services through IDEA Part C and Part B. 

The American Academy of Family Physicians shares information on how to identify, understand, and unlearn implicit bias in patient care using the acronym IMPLICIT:

Introspection

Mindfulness

Perspective-Taking

Learn to Slow Down                   

Individualization

Check Your Messaging

Institutionalize Fairness

Take Two

Implicit bias is the unconscious collection of stereotypes and attitudes that we develop toward certain groups of people, which can affect our relationships and care decisions. We can overcome implicit bias by first discovering our blind spots and then actively working to dismiss stereotypes and attitudes that affect our interactions. And while individual action is helpful, organizations and institutions must also work to eliminate systemic problems.

To learn more about these strategies, click below.

The Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health is the global organization that oversees the implementation of Endorsement® credential system. The Alliance reviews Endorsement® policies based on feedback from IMH associations and in response to the needs of the IECMH workforce. We are excited to share the following updates with you. 

•    Beginning January 1, 2025, there will no longer be an exam requirement for the Mental Health Specialist (MHS) Endorsement® category..
•    Work requirements, Code of Ethics, and reference rating forms for the MHS category will be updated.
•    All MHS applications will be frozen from 8/2/2024 through the end of the 2024 to allow the Alliance to make the necessary updates to the Endorsement® Application System (EASy) website.

We are excited about this change and hope it will help make Endorsement® more equitable and accessible to infant and early childhood mental health professionals!

Neighborhood Opportunities Influence Infant Development and Cognition

According to new research from Boston Medical Center, enhancing neighborhood opportunities, particularly in education, can be a promising approach to promoting early childhood neurodevelopment. The researchers found that infants living in neighborhoods with more early education opportunities have greater brain function at six months of age. These brain differences are also related to better cognition at 12 months of age. Instead of focusing on the role of socioeconomic disadvantages in child development, this study shifts the conversation towards solutions for improving early childhood environments and addressing inequalities that prevent infants from accessing these services.

This study was published in The Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.

Smart Phones Impact Infant Language Development

The Society for Research in Child Development completed a new study with a test group of mothers documenting the real-time association between phone use and speech to infants in real-world interactions. Research found 1- to 2-minute intervals of phone use interfered with baby interaction by 26%. In this particular study, mothers were found to speak less to infants during detected real-world phone use. Less interaction can interfere with important talk time between parent and child and can have an impact on the child's speech development. A child typically should have first words by 12 months and if they are not using 5 to 20 words by 18 months an assessed by a speech pathologist is recommended. 

Holding it Together:

How Women Became America's Safety Net

In her book, Holding it Together: How Women Became America's Safety Net, sociologist Jessica Calarco explains how the United States has used women to fill low wage jobs that are too labor intensive to be profitable and the effects it has had on society and our children. Watch the interview below to learn more.

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August 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 LEND, Kansas Children's Service League, and Child Care Aware network.