ABC infant & early childhood mental health single point of access - association to benefit children proposes to establish an infant & early childhood mental health spoa (single point of access), which…

ABC infant & early childhood mental health single point of access - association to benefit children proposes to establish an infant & early childhood mental health spoa (single point of access), which will serve as a highly specialized mental health connector of the poorest, most at-risk children (ages 0-12 years) in new york city, focusing primarily on upper manhattan and the south bronx, to evidence-based trauma-informed infant and early childhood mental health services, including screenings and assessments, treatments, and other supports, programming, and care. Evidence-based treatments will include but not be limited to child-parent psychotherapy, a dyadic treatment specifically designed for families with young children who have experienced severe trauma, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and a number of evidence-based parent training programs such as parenting journey, circle of security, and positive solutions. In addition, early childhood mental health consultation services operating directly in host sites such as early care and education programs, elementary and middle schools, and after school and summer camp programs, will deliver in sitio and push-in supports in classrooms and other settings serving very young children in distress, and training and capacity building to the center staff. In partnership with adelphi university(a leader for infant and early childhood mental health training and workforce development in the united states), the proposed program will also offer staff training, capacity building, and general workforce development in the field through a 12-month curriculum focused on core concepts of early childhood development and delivering high quality early childhood mental health consultation services to new york city's systems of care. The program requires significant collaboration with local government agencies, such as the NYC administration for children's services, the department of education's office of school health, and the NYC department of health and mental hygiene's bureau of children and families.