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February 6, 2025

Infant and Early Childhood Mental HealthState and Local Policy

Supporting Young Children Through Uncertain Times: Resources for Stress and Trauma

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Young children and their families are profoundly impacted by trauma, which can have lasting implications for their well-being and development.

Babies and toddlers often lack the words to convey how they are feeling, leaving caregivers and professionals to interpret a range of unexpected or atypical behaviors. Understanding and supporting young children in these situations requires knowledge, empathy and access to specialized tools and services.

This resource center is designed for early childhood development professionals working with families affected by stress or trauma. It offers trauma-informed guidance, tools and connections to help professionals support the unique developmental and emotional needs of young children and their caregivers.

Latest news and updates

Current events and policy changes can have profound effects on families, often increasing stress and even leading to trauma.

Our federal policy team is deeply involved in shaping decisions that impact the well-being of babies and their families. Stay up-to-date on our latest issues.

Recent Issues

Natural Disasters

Because babies and toddlers are entirely dependent on their caregivers, their wellbeing is inextricably tied to those who take care of them. Caring, attentive and supportive adults can help alleviate the traumatizing toll that experiencing a natural disaster can have on the child’s developing brain.

Learn More

Medicaid

Medicaid ensures millions of children receive essential care including prenatal care, screenings, sick and well-child visits, dental care and vaccines. Without continued federal support, health care costs for eligible families will shift to states, which will be forced to reduce services or increase costs for families.

Tell Congress

Child trauma is defined as any perceived harm or threat of loss that a child experiences or witnesses directly or learns about.

Trauma-informed resources for professionals

Explore strategies and resources to help professionals provide compassionate, culturally responsive support to babies, toddlers, and their caregivers impacted by trauma and stress.

From creating safe, nurturing environments to connecting families with mental health and legal resources, there is much we can do to help mitigate the effects of these challenging experiences and foster resilience in children and their families.

Trauma-Informed Care

Trauma-informed care is essential in all early childhood settings, as young children’s early experiences—whether in child care, healthcare, or community programs—shape their emotional and developmental well-being. By equipping early childhood professionals with trauma-sensitive approaches, we can create safe, supportive environments that help children heal, build resilience, and thrive despite adversity.

Trauma-Informed Care in Early Childhood Education

Implementing trauma training for educators can increase the chances that young traumatized children recover, thrive, and enter kindergarten ready to learn.

When We Are Scared

This story was written to help children and grown-ups (parents, teachers, and other important adults) understand how stress can affect children and ways to help them.

Trauma-Responsiveness in Early Childhood: A Foundational Practice

This webinar explores trauma language and trauma-responsive efforts to identify structures that bolster child-centered approaches, applicable in child welfare settings and beyond.

Family Separation

Family separation—whether due to child welfare involvement, parental incarceration, immigration enforcement, or divorce—can have lasting effects on a young child’s emotional and developmental well-being. Early childhood professionals play a crucial role in providing trauma-informed support, helping children maintain stable relationships, and ensuring they have the resources needed to navigate these challenging transitions.

Promoting Resilience with Children Impacted by Parental Incarceration

This ZERO TO THREE Member article discusses how childhood professionals can provide critical supports and services that build on family strengths and foster resilience in children affected by the trauma of parental incarceration.

Traumatic Family Separation: Tips for Caregivers

This tip sheet from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network provides tips for current caregivers and others to help address the needs of immigrant and refugee children who have experienced traumatic separaton.

Resources for Families Facing Deportation and Separation

Guides and reports providing information about family separation due to detention and deportation, safety planning and child welfare for families facing deportation.

Sudden Traumatic Events

Sudden traumatic events—such as wildfires, hurricanes, or community violence—can disrupt a young child’s sense of security and impact their emotional and developmental well-being. Early childhood professionals can help by providing trauma-informed care, creating safe and predictable environments, and connecting families to resources that support resilience and healing.

Talking Trauma with Young Children

In this webinar, early childhood experts have a candid conversation about how adults, whether caregivers, early education professionals, or advocates, can navigate tough conversations with young children.

Compassionate Response

This free training is for agencies partnering with first responders and offers strategies on scene to mitigate traumatic impacts on young children as well as tips to support their own mental health and well-being.

Coping with Trauma and Stress in the Face of Wildfires and Natural Disasters

Guidance and tips for early childhood professionals working with babies and toddlers impacted by natural disasters.

ACEs, Toxic Stress & Resilience – Caregiver Handouts

These tip sheets, co-created by ZERO TO THREE and The Center for Youth Wellness, provide practical guidance for current caregivers and others to help prevent and buffer the effects of trauma on babies and toddlers.

“Providing services and supports to babies and toddlers should be noncontroversial and apolitical. Any disruption or interruption of funding causes significant and unnecessary stress on parents and professionals. We owe it to our children to ensure quality and continuity of care.”

Lana Shklyar Nenide, MS, IMH-E ®, Executive Director, Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health

Wellness Resources for Professionals

Early childhood professionals dedicate themselves to supporting children and families, but constant exposure to stress and hardship can take a toll. Over time, this can lead to compassion fatigue, impacting both well-being and effectiveness. Professionals in any field are at risk of burnout, but compassion fatigue specifically affects those who provide care to others. We have included some information, strategies and brief practices that can be used throughout the day to care for yourself and stay present with the children and families you work with.

Buzzwords Explained: Compassion Fatigue

Learn more about compassion fatigue and download a guide to signs and symptoms. Access tips and suggestions to address compassion fatigue in early childhood professionals.

Mindfulness in Early Childhood

Mindfulness has been used with adults to reduce stress, bolster overall health and psychological functioning, and assist a return to wellness. Studies show that mindfulness practices that are specific, ongoing, and led by an expert has an impact in early childhood settings.

Reflective Practice

Reflective practice fosters responsivity versus reactivity. It reduces burnout and promotes psychological safety in teams and in work with families. Our daily checklist can help early childhood professionals make reflective practice part of their routine.

IECMH Directory

This list of IECMH contacts in each state can field inquiries, provide guidance, and connect you to local resources and clinicians specializing in trauma-informed care for infants and toddlers.

Promoting Research-informed State IECMH Policies and Scaled Initiatives

This project promotes efforts to achieve positive outcomes for infants and young children by highlighting research-informed infant-early childhood mental health (IECMH) state policies and scaled initiatives. This directory profiles exemplary IECMH strategies used in state policies and scaled initiatives.

State IECMH Contacts

State	Organization
Alabama	Alabama Association Infant Early Childhood Mental Health
Alaska	Alaska Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Arizona	Infant Toddler Mental Health Coalition of Arizona
Arkansas	Arkansas Association for Infant Mental Health
California	California Association for Infant Mental Health The IECMHC Network
Colorado	Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health
Connecticut	Connecticut Association for Infant Mental Health
Delaware	Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
District of Columbia	Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Florida	Florida Association for Infant Mental Health
Georgia	Georgia Association for Infant Mental Health
Hawaii	Hawaii Association for Infant Mental Health
Idaho	Idaho Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (also known as Aim Early Idaho)
Illinois	Illinois Association for Infant Mental Health
Indiana	Infancy Onward (formerly Indiana Association for Infant and Toddler Mental Health)
Iowa	Iowa Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Kansas	Kansas Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Kentucky	KAIMH
Louisiana	Harris Center for Infant Mental Health
Maine	Maine Association for Infant Mental Health, Inc.
Maryland	Infant Mental Health Association of Maryland/DC
Massachusetts	Massachusetts Association for Infant Mental Health
Michigan	Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health
Minnesota	Minnesota Association for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health
Mississippi	Mississippi Families for Kids
Missouri	Missouri Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Montana	Mountain Pacific
Nebraska	Nebraska Association for Infant Mental Health
Nevada	Nevada Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
New Hampshire	New Hampshire Association for Infant Mental Health
New Jersey	New Jersey Association for Infant Mental Health
New Mexico	New Mexico Association for Infant Mental Health
New York	New York State Association for Infant Mental Health
North Carolina	North Carolina Infant Mental Health Association
North Dakota	ND Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
Ohio	Ohio Association for Infant Mental Health
Oklahoma	Oklahoma Association for Infant Mental Health
Oregon	Oregon Infant Mental Health Association
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health
Rhode Island	Rhode Island Association for Infant Mental Health
South Carolina	South Carolina Association for Infant Mental Health
South Dakota	South Dakota Family Engagement Center
Tennessee	Association of Infant Mental Health in Tennessee
Texas	First3Years Texas (formerly Texas Association for Infant Mental Health)
Utah	Utah Association for Infant Mental Health
Vermont	Vermont Department of Mental Health
Virginia	Virginia Association for Infant Mental Health
Washington	Center for Early Relational Health (formerly Washington Association for Infant Mental Health)
West Virginia	West Virginia Infant/Toddler Mental Health Association
Wisconsin	Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health
Wyoming	Wyoming Department of Health

Your Voice Matters: Share Your Story

Families face stress and trauma from economic shifts, policy changes and crises like natural disasters. Access to mental health support, child care, and family services can make all the difference—but too many still struggle to get help.

Are you a parent or early childhood professional? How have essential services supported you or the families you work with? What still needs to change?

Your voice can help shape policies that ensure every child gets the strong start they deserve.

An advertisement for a basic training on infant mental health — Advertisement

Upcoming Events and Trainings

Rooted in trauma-informed practices, ZERO TO THREE’s virtual and in-person trainings offer the latest from our experts in early childhood development.

Virtual

August 5, 2025

The Growing Brain Basics Webinar Series

Explore how the brain grows and develops from conception to 5 years old and how you can support healthy brain development during these years when the brain is the most plastic, or receptive to change.

Details

Portland, OR

August 5, 2025

Cross Sites 2025

Safe Babies, A Program of ZERO TO THREE™, hosts the 19th annual Cross Sites Meeting, August 5-7, 2025. 

Details

Virtual

August 6, 2025

The Growing Brain: From Birth to 5 Years Old Virtual Training of Trainers

Our newly designed virtual Training of Trainers combines live online events and self-study to support your journey towards becoming a ZERO TO THREE certified trainer of The Growing Brain curriculum.

Details

Virtual

August 26, 2025

Transformational Leadership in Advancing Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Policy.

Join early childhood leaders Sarah Barclay Hoffman and Lynette Aytch for a thoughtful conversation on how reflection, collaboration, and purpose drive impactful leadership and change.

Details

Virtual

September 10, 2025

The Growing Brain: From Birth to 5 Years Old Virtual Training of Trainers

Our newly designed virtual Training of Trainers combines live online events and self-study to support your journey towards becoming a ZERO TO THREE certified trainer of The Growing Brain curriculum.

Details

Virtual

September 16, 2025

Infant Mental Health Training: What You Need to Know

The DC:0-5 Overview Training helps administrators and allied professionals gain a foundation for understanding this diagnostic system.

Details

Baltimore, MD

October 6, 2025

Faculty Institute: DC:0–5™

Dive into the only diagnostic classification system focused on mental health for infants and young children, birth to 5 years old.

Details

Baltimore, MD

October 6, 2025

Faculty Institute: Critical Competencies

Transform teacher-child interactions with the essential skills needed to optimize social-emotional, cognitive, and language and literacy development—the ZERO TO THREE Critical Competencies for Infant-Toddler Educators™

Details

Baltimore, MD

October 7, 2025

Pre-Conference Forum: Leadership for Wellness

Join us for this engaging forum to explore the latest research and effective methods for supporting well-being.

Details

Baltimore, MD

October 7, 2025

Pre-Conference Forum: In This Together

Gain valuable insights into building enduring, collaborative relationships that strengthen the well-being of children, families, communities, and yourself.

Details

Baltimore, Maryland

October 8, 2025

LEARN Conference 2025

Details

Tell Congress to make babies and families a national priority.

Use our tool to contact your representatives and sign up for the latest information and action alerts about policies and events that matter to you!

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What do mental health issues in young children look like?

Related Resources

Distillation

Buzzwords Explained: Trauma-Informed Care

Trauma-informed care gives kids security. Whether in classroom or clinical settings, learn more about responsive care for children who have experienced trauma.

Details

Distillation

Buzzwords Explained: Compassion Fatigue

Working hard daily to meet the unique needs of individual children and their families, early childhood professionals are prime candidates for compassion fatigue.

Details

Distillation

What does trauma do to a baby’s brain?

Trauma can greatly impact the developing and vulnerable minds of young children aged 0-3. However, the impact of trauma can vary depending on some key factors.

Details

Supporting Young Children Through Uncertain Times: Resources for Stress and Trauma

Young children and their families are profoundly impacted by trauma, which can have lasting implications for their well-being and development.

Latest news and updates

Current events and policy changes can have profound effects on families, often increasing stress and even leading to trauma.

Recent Issues

Learn More

Tell Congress

Child trauma is defined as any perceived harm or threat of loss that a child experiences or witnesses directly or learns about.

Trauma-informed resources for professionals

Explore strategies and resources to help professionals provide compassionate, culturally responsive support to babies, toddlers, and their caregivers impacted by trauma and stress.

Trauma-Informed Care

Trauma-Informed Care in Early Childhood Education

When We Are Scared

Trauma-Responsiveness in Early Childhood: A Foundational Practice

Family Separation

Promoting Resilience with Children Impacted by Parental Incarceration

Traumatic Family Separation: Tips for Caregivers

Resources for Families Facing Deportation and Separation

Sudden Traumatic Events

Talking Trauma with Young Children

Compassionate Response

Coping with Trauma and Stress in the Face of Wildfires and Natural Disasters

ACEs, Toxic Stress & Resilience – Caregiver Handouts

“Providing services and supports to babies and toddlers should be noncontroversial and apolitical. Any disruption or interruption of funding causes significant and unnecessary stress on parents and professionals. We owe it to our children to ensure quality and continuity of care.”

Lana Shklyar Nenide, MS, IMH-E ®, Executive Director, Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health

Wellness Resources for Professionals

Buzzwords Explained: Compassion Fatigue

Mindfulness in Early Childhood

Reflective Practice

IECMH Directory

This list of IECMH contacts in each state can field inquiries, provide guidance, and connect you to local resources and clinicians specializing in trauma-informed care for infants and toddlers.

State

Organization

Your Voice Matters: Share Your Story

Upcoming Events and Trainings

Rooted in trauma-informed practices, ZERO TO THREE’s virtual and in-person trainings offer the latest from our experts in early childhood development.

The Growing Brain Basics Webinar Series

Cross Sites 2025

The Growing Brain: From Birth to 5 Years Old Virtual Training of Trainers

Transformational Leadership in Advancing Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Policy.

The Growing Brain: From Birth to 5 Years Old Virtual Training of Trainers

Infant Mental Health Training: What You Need to Know

Faculty Institute: DC:0–5™

Faculty Institute: Critical Competencies

Pre-Conference Forum: Leadership for Wellness

Pre-Conference Forum: In This Together

LEARN Conference 2025

Take action and get updates

Tell Congress to make babies and families a national priority.

Use our tool to contact your representatives and sign up for the latest information and action alerts about policies and events that matter to you!

Read More

Related Resources

Buzzwords Explained: Trauma-Informed Care

Buzzwords Explained: Compassion Fatigue

What does trauma do to a baby’s brain?