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KAIMH Connections
Resources for Early Childhood Mental Health Advocates
Updates | May 2026
Read below for information on Mental Health Awareness Month, upcoming professional development opportunities, and more!
Conference Highlights
We had a great time in Wichita celebrating young children, connecting with each other and learning about the many ways our work builds resilience in young children. Please plan to join us next year - April 22-23, 2026 - in Salina. Stay tuned for more details!
KAIMH EVENTS:
Growing Together: A Community of Practice
Building Our Reflective Practice Through A Racialized Lens
Join us in this reflective community of practice created for early childhood professionals to come together to examine their work through an anti-racist lens using the amazing workbook “Reflective Practice through a Racialized Lens: My Hero’s Journey”. We will facilitate a brave space for deep self-reflection, meaningful dialogue, and collective growth as we serve babies, young children, and their families with better self-awareness and cultural responsiveness.
This community of practice is built on the understanding that transformative change begins within ourselves and extends into our professional relationships and service delivery. Through structured reflective practices, we explore the nuanced intersections of culture, identity, race, racism, power, and privilege in our daily work. Participants will need to purchase a copy of the book, “Reflective Practice through a Racialized Lens: My Hero’s Journey.”
Meeting Dates: May 14 & 28 and June 11 & 25, 2026 from 11:00 -1:00 pm
Facilitated by Amittia Parker and a panel of diverse facilitators.
Amittia Parker, PhD, LMSW, MPA, IMH-E® is a researcher, trainer, and mama scholar. Her research, training, teaching, and service focus on advancing minority mental health and equity, particularly among pregnant and parenting young children. Dr. Parker is passionate about facilitating transformative and healing spaces that center wellness, critical reflection, meaningful dialogue, and change.
Join us for ZERO TO THREE’s
The Growing Brain series!
This training provides early childhood professionals with the knowledge, support and evidence-based strategies they can use in everyday moments to support healthy brain development and build the connections babies need for success now and later in life.
All sessions are online from 1:30 – 4:45 pm
$35 per session or $200 for all sessions
May 28th Unit 1: Brain Basics: Understand the core concepts of neurodevelopment and the critical role of early experiences.
June 11th Unit 2: Factors Affecting Brain Growth and Development: Explore the genetic and environmental influences on early brain development.
June 25th Unit 3: Communication and Language Development: Dive into the processes that underlie early communication and language skills.
July 9th Unit 4: Cognitive and Executive Functions: Learn about the development of thinking skills and self-control.
July 30th Unit 5: Social/Emotional Development: Gain insights into the emotional lives of infants and toddlers and how they form relationships.
August 13th Unit 6: Understanding Behavior: Discover the meaning behind behaviors and how to respond effectively.
August 27th Unit 7: Everyday Play: Recognize the importance of play and how it supports early brain development.
KAIMH is excited to announce an opportunity to submit an application to participate in one year of reflective consultation through virtual group meetings. Learn how to use reflective practice in your work to reduce stress and improve relationships. Want more? We are also accepting applications from individuals interested in participating in a reflective consultation group who also want additional training and support in providing reflective supervision/consultation in their work. To apply for either option, click here.
KAIMH T-shirts Now Available!
Get your own customized KAIMH T-shirt or sweatshirt! Unisex sizes range from youth to 4x and are available in a variety of colors. Check out Hartman's Hustle to order. If you want a different color option than displayed, contact Hartman's Hustle via the text option on the website to order the color you want, with no additional charge.
Mental Health Awareness Month, observed in May, is critical for educating the public, reducing stigma, and encouraging people to seek treatment for mental health conditions. Mental health impacts everyone. Your experience, your journey, and your voice can help break stigma, build understanding, and create hope and healing for others.
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) invites you to share your story to help break the silence and be the reason someone realizes they don’t have to face this alone.
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration has toolkit you can download with key messages and themes for each week in May, social media content, graphics, and promotional materials, with messaging that encourages acceptance and support of people living with a mental illness and best practices for supportive and beneficial discussions about mental health.
Mental Health America also has print materials you can download, including; affirmations for more good days and why they work, how to feel better about yourself: simple steps backed by science, journal prompts for more good days, movement for mental health: why it doesn’t have to look like exercise and why hobbies are good for your mental health. Click here to download a Be Kind to Your Mind coloring sheet to enjoy and share!
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week is celebrated annually during the first full week of May to highlight the importance of children's mental health and reduce stigma. This year it is observed from May 4-10, with a strong focus on wearing green to symbolize hope, growth, and resilience.
More Good Days, Together: A Virtual Wellness Experience Wednesday, May 20th 12:00 pm ET | 9:00 AM PT Donations encouraged, but not required
In honor of Mental Health Month, join Mental Health America (MHA) for an immersive virtual experience designed to support your mind and body. Wellness is not achieved through a single change or action; it’s built on intentional, consistent practices that can lead to more good days. This experience will bring our community together to explore simple, practical ways to support wellness and build healthy habits that last. From the comfort of your own space, you can join us for guided chair yoga, reflective journaling, and calming breathwork activities that support both mind and body. This event will also offer insights into how lifestyle choices — like what we eat and how we structure our time — impact our emotional well-being.
Event Agenda Noon – 12:15 p.m. ET | Opening remarks | A warm welcome from Mental Health America. 12:15 – 12:45 p.m. | Gentle movement | Chair yoga: Adaptable movements designed to release tension and deepen your mind-body connection. 12:45 – 1 p.m. | Reflective practice | Journaling for mental health: A guided reflective journaling experience. 1 – 1:30 p.m. | Structuring habits | Mind, body, and routine: An insightful discussion on how mindful eating and daily intentional habits support your mental health. 1:30 – 1:45 p.m. | Mindful Pause | Guided breathwork: A focused practice to calm the nervous system and provide you with tools for restoring calm and focus. 1:45 – 2 p.m. | Closing | Final reflections and takeaways, followed by sharing of MHA resources to help you have more good days.
Check out these upcoming professional development opportunities that support your Infant & Early Childhood 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.
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