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KAIMH Connections
Resources for Early Childhood Mental Health Advocates
Updates | December 2024
Highlights in this newsletter include updates for our annual KAIMH conference, inclusive language guide, the Prescription for Play program, social/emotional supports for early education programs, upcoming professional development, and more!
Save the Date KAIMH Conference 2025
We are excited to announce the date, location and keynote speaker for our Annual Conference! Please save May 1-2, 2025 on your calendar and join us in Salina, KS with keynote speaker, Tabatha Rosproy, who will share insightful information on resiliency for early childhood professionals and bringing joy into our daily work. This will also mark KAIMH's 30th year as an organization, so plan to join us for a special birthday celebration and evening mixer! Be sure to check out our webpage for all the details and updates!
Congratulations to Our New Endorsee!
Angie Carnes, IMH-E
Congratulations to Angie Carnes on achieving the Infant Mental Health Endorsement! Angie says, "I am honored to receive my KAIMH Endorsement. I have worked with young children and their families for over 25 years, and I pride myself in the strong relationships I have built. Helping children develop a strong sense of positive social emotional awareness is a key factor for their future success. As a family child care provider, I strive to create an environment where children can be their authentic selves through positive interaction and relationships with their peers and adults that are there to support them. The KAIMH endorsement validates the work I have put forward to create a safe, nurturing and inclusive environment for all children and their families and my dedication to continue to grow as an educator."
Prescription for Play
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a policy statement about the importance and power of play — and encourages pediatricians to do everything they can to get children to play — even writing prescriptions for it.
The message is to stop thinking of play as “extra,” and only something to do when important things have been finished and there isn’t something better to do. But research shows that play itself is very important.
The AAP recommends that pediatricians: 1. Encourage parents to observe and respond to the nonverbal behavior of infants during their first few months of life 2. Advocate for the protection of children’s unstructured playtime because of its numerous health benefits. 3. Advocate with early educators to focus on playful rather than directed learning by letting children take the lead and follow their own curiosity. 4. Emphasize the importance of playful learning for fostering stronger caregiver–infant relationships and promoting executive functioning skills. 5. Encourage playful learning for parents and infants by writing a “prescription for play” at every well-child visit in the first 2 years of life.
Prescription for Play also has a Caregiver Guide you can view or download here. It includes playful activities and the science behind them!
Inclusive Language Principles
Inclusive language conveys respect to all people and communicates a message effectively through precise language. In human service work it is important to know words, terms, and phrases to use and to avoid in the workplace to be more inclusive. Some general tips include:
Put people first: Focus on the person, not their characteristics.
We are more than our descriptors: Avoid generalizations and don’t assume you know someone’s identity.
Use universal phrases: Idioms, industry jargon, and acronyms can exclude individuals who may not have specialized knowledge of a particular subject.
Use gender-neutral language to address a group: Saying “guys” or “ladies” to address a group of people is gendered language. Inclusive ways to address a group include “folks,” “people,” “you all, “y’all,” and “team.”
Recognize the impact of mental health language: “Bipolar,” “PTSD,” “OCD,” and “ADD” are real mental health diagnoses that people possess. Using these terms to describe everyday behaviors underplays the impact of someone’s experiences with a mental disorder. Avoid other derogatory terms that stem from the context of mental health, like “schizo,” “paranoid,” “psycho,” “crazy” or “insane.” These words give negative value and contribute to marginalizing individuals with mental health conditions.
Ask if you aren’t sure: Inclusive language is meant to reflect an individual’s or group’s personal style and preference. Use personal pronouns when introducing yourself and in your email signature.
The Devereux Reflective Checklist for Teaching Practices is a tool designed to help early educators reflect upon their practices in supporting children's mental health. Each item on the Reflective Checklist has been identified by research as a best practice for promoting young children’s social and emotional health. Click on the links to view the Reflective Checklist for Preschool Teaching Practices or the CARE Reflective Checklist for Infant/Toddler Settings.
Want free help in supporting your classroom's mental health? There are agencies throughout Kansas that offer free, onsite or virtual assistance. To request more information or find a specialist near you, click on the links below.
Parentese
There are many strategies that caregivers use to engage with babies and toddlers through speech. Turn-taking conversations and narration of daily routines are both effective strategies for supporting language development. One specific type of child-directed speech used by caregivers is known as parentese, notable for its higher pitch and elongated vowels.
Check out this video with some useful information on how infant-directed speech supports language development:
Predictable Caregiving Makes Infant Brains "Spongier"
The researchers at the Plasticity in Neurodevelopment (PINE) Lab at Northeastern have discovered new insights about how early childhood development unfolds and the plasticity of the infant brain. The goal of the research was to better understand how caregivers’ behavior during play interactions with their young children taught about the predictable nature of the world. They found that early interactions around age four months impacted how the children learned totally new information six months later.
These results suggest that early experiences with caregiver predictability influence learning, providing support for the hypothesis that the neurodevelopment of core learning and memory systems is closely tied to infants’ experiences during key developmental windows. The key difference in this study was looking at not just how caregivers teach kids what to learn, but how to learn. Read the full report here.
Alice Eberhart-Wright Award Nominations
Nominations are now open for the Alice Eberhart-Wright Visionary Award: Recognizing Excellence in the Field of Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health. This award is given to those who represent the mission of KAIMH and illustrate passion, creativity and best practices in their work supporting infant and early childhood mental health in Kansas. This award is presented each year at the KAIMH annual conference. Learn more and nominate a candidate here!
December 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.
