This week we released a new report titled Advancing Early Childhood Mental Health through Evidence-Based Home Visiting where we explore how evidenced-based home visiting can support and encourage healthy development for our littlest learners. In the first five years of a child’s life, more than one million neural connections are forming every second! These neural connections, the brain’s architecture, are formed through the interaction of baby and his or her environment through early enriching experiences. If a child is not provided with positive enriching experiences and environments, it can have a negative effect on their brain development and can follow them throughout the remainder of their lives. The report dives into how the state can promote positive experiences and early childhood mental health (ECMH) for children through evidence-based home visiting during a child's first few years. The state also needs to continue to explore how evidence-based home visiting aligns with a comprehensive early childhood system including child care, early intervention, preschool and the child welfare system.
In addition to the report, Groundwork added a new page on our website dedicated to ECMH resources to include easily accessible reports, recorded webinars, and other resources relevant to ECMH. Visit Our New Page.
It's Not Too Late to Apply for Groundwork's Early Childhood Leadership Fellowship!
Beginning in 2020, early education and health professionals from across the state will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, engage with thought-leaders and policymakers to advance quality early learning and health, and take steps to create state-, local-, and community-level change for young children in Ohio. Fellows will engage in a hybrid curriculum designed to build upon leadership and communications skills, expand knowledge around the landscape of Ohio’s early childhood systems, and empower participants to take on leadership roles in their communities and the early education and health professions across the state.
The Fellowship will incorporate in-person sessions, expert presentations, online learning experiences, and small group regional exercises designed to drive change in local communities. By the end of the year, Fellows will have gained the knowledge and tools needed to enhance their capacity to influence healthy development and early learning policies that will improve outcomes for Ohio’s youngest children and their families.
Applications must be submitted by 5 PM on December 13, 2019. Apply Now.