Early relational health (ERH) is not a new field, but an enhanced focus on knowledge from infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH), neurodevelopment, and related fields. ERH brings attention to the centrality of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and resilient communities as drivers for current and future health and well-being of…

The University of Colorado PROMISE Clinic is an integrated mental health program housed in the obstetrics/gynecology outpatient clinics. A team of medical and mental health professionals care for a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse patient population. They provide integrated mental health services from consultation through…

Millions of U.S. children are separated from a parent each year because of parental incarceration in prison or jail. The vast majority of people who go to jail or prison will be released eventually, making parental reentry and parent-child reunification a common process in families affected by incarceration. Despite the importance of the reentry…

The Carole Robertson Center for Learning is one of the largest early childhood and youth development nonprofit organizations in Chicago, serving more than 1,000 children and their families every day, with a significant presence on the city's West Side. The organization's work during the COVID-19 pandemic and a summer grounded in the fight for…

This story from the field describes the experiences of 11 early childhood education centers in Philadelphia that were part of a project to implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). It tells of the many challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for racial equity and social justice and how these events…

Professionals who are working to support infants, young children, and families are called upon to build others up, and doing so requires a strong foundation. Yet, in these challenging times of a global pandemic, all are standing on unfamiliar ground. The pandemic has required that professionals across disciplines adapt to changing circumstances…

Told through the lens of Malawi customs, culture, and taboos, the authors describe the life experiences and mental health needs of Pilirani, a young Malawi Slay Queen, and her children. The article reveals the adversities she faced, her dreams for her children, how she and her children fared, and what helped them at various junctures in their…

This article describes the Building Early Links for Learning (BELL) initiative in Philadelphia, PA. BELL looks to promote resilience in young children staying in emergency housing for homeless families. The goal is to make the settings more responsive and supportive to children's developmental needs as they adapt to experiences of homelessness and…

The Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation, a 45-year study of children born into poverty, offers a number of lessons for practitioners. Among these are the potency of early relationship experiences for predicting developmental outcomes and the fate of early experience following developmental change. This article describes the…

In prison, jails, and detention centers, the United States incarcerates more people than any other country, and most of these individuals are parents. As a result, early care and intervention professionals are likely to encounter infants and young children affected by parental incarceration. This article will review the scope of the problem, the…

What key ingredients are needed to effectively promote the mental health and resilience of young children in American Indian and Alaska Native communities? What should non-indigenous allies know when working with Indigenous communities and partners to support young child wellness? What elements and contexts should be taken into consideration when…

Since the 1980s, El Salvador has survived a 12-year civil war, two major earthquakes, devastating hurricanes, a massive drought, a famine, and now the current levels of violence related to gang presence across the country. Nearly everyone has had personal experience with at least one but more likely multiple traumatic experiences during their…

ParentChild+ is a national home visiting program dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap for families in marginalized communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the program worked more closely than ever with families and family care providers with young children to ensure they had the necessary tools and resources to support their children to…

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) is an umbrella term that describes a variety of conditions characterized by a pattern of atypical facial features, growth restriction, structural physical abnormalities, and brain dysfunction resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure. Studies suggest that the prevalence of FASDs ranges between 2-5% (of the…

This article tells the story of a single mother, Maria, who has a history of trauma, and her 2-year-old daughter, Lina, as they learn, play, and heal together through the use of Child-Parent Psychotherapy, an evidenced-based, trauma-informed therapeutic intervention in a home-based program model. Through the power of play, Maria and Lina are able…