To promote strong, lifelong well-being, babies and families need access to a continuum of foundational infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) supports and services, including promotion, prevention, assessment, diagnosis and treatment options.
ZERO TO THREE works directly with policy leaders across the country to advance policies that improve access to developmentally appropriate mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment services. Our resources highlight innovative approaches to policies that ensure our youngest children and their families have the support they need.
See how we’re working to support states’ advancement of IECMH policies.
What we do
The IECMH Policy Team at ZERO TO THREE provides in-depth technical assistance to policy leaders, advances federal perinatal and IECMH policy, and develops resources highlighting innovative policies and initiatives that impact infants, toddlers and families.
Related Resources
- IECMH Infographic
- IECMH Clinical Workforce Solutions Pathways Map
- IECMH Briefing Series
- The Basics of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: A Briefing Paper
- Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: A Briefing Paper
- Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Competencies: A Briefing Paper
- DC:0-5™: Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood: A Briefing Paper
- DC:0-5™ Crosswalk: A Briefing Paper
- IECMH State and Community Planning Tool
- Planting Seeds in Fertile Ground
IECMH Consultation Crosswalk
Babies, children, caregivers, and families deserve high-quality services from professionals who are informed by infant and early childhood mental health principles and have a relationship-focused
approach. This crosswalk is a helpful tool to identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences that make IECMH providers feel informed, engaged and well-prepared to meet the complex relational needs of infants, young children, caregivers, and families.
The crosswalk was created by the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health in collaboration with the Georgetown Center of Excellence for IECMHC, with support from AIMH-HI and the Hawaii Community Foundation.
Watch the accompanying webinar
Highlights from IECMH Policy Partnerships
ZERO TO THREE partners with Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development on The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Technical Assistance Center, which works to build strong foundations for all children’s health, learning, behavior, and relationships during their most critical period of development. The Center’s mission is to support SAMHSA-funded grantees in their work to address the mental health needs of young children and families, build the infant and early childhood mental health workforce, and improve systems and policies that promote the wellbeing of young children, families, and caregivers.
TA Center Library of Resources
- Cost-Effectiveness of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Treatment
- IECMH – Laying the Groundwork for All Future Development
- Embedding DC:0–5 into State Policy and Systems
- Financing IECMH Supports and Services
- Overview of Early Childhood Planning & Self-Assessment Tools
