Strong start mental health initiative - motivation, education, and training, INC. (met) proposes strong start, a comprehensive infant and early childhood mental health (iecmh) initiative serving…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Motivation Education & Training Inc. (Met) $500,000 in federal grant funding on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532).

Met will establish Strong Start, a comprehensive infant and early childhood mental health initiative serving children birth through age 12, their caregivers, and early childhood professionals across nine counties in Texas: Austin, Chambers, Hardin, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, Waller, and Walker. The initiative addresses documented shortages of infant and early childhood mental health-trained professionals, fragmented referral pathways, transportation barriers, and limited access to developmentally appropriate behavioral health screening and assessment, particularly in rural communities.

Strong Start will establish an infant and early childhood mental health learning collaborative that trains 2,000 early childhood professionals through a competency-based curriculum integrated into Met's Department of Labor registered early childhood education apprenticeship. The project will establish a regional screening, assessment, and referral hub providing developmental and behavioral health screening for 2,500 children, ensuring timely referral and follow-up, and delivering caregiver education and early intervention through the Nurturing Parenting Program and Wellness on Wheels outreach. Licensed mental health professionals will provide infant and early childhood mental health consultation to strengthen capacity of early childhood professionals and improve access to developmentally appropriate behavioral health services.

The award period runs from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031. Place of performance is Texas.

Strong start mental health initiative - motivation, education, and training, INC. (met) proposes strong start, a comprehensive infant and early childhood mental health (iecmh) initiative serving children birth through age 12, their caregivers, and early childhood professionals in the city of waller in northeast harris county and the following additional counties: austin, chambers, hardin, jefferson, liberty, montgomery, polk, waller, and walker. The project addresses documented shortages of iecmh-trained professionals, fragmented referral pathways, transportation barriers, and limited access to developmentally appropriate behavioral health screening, assessment, consultation, and family support services, particularly in rural communities. Strong start will improve early identification of behavioral health concerns while strengthening the regional iecmh workforce and expanding coordinated access to evidence-informed mental health services. Strong startt will establish an iecmh learning collaborative that trains 2,000 early childhood professionals through a competency-based curriculum that integrates iecmh into met's department of labor registered early childhood education apprenticeship. Strong start will also establish a regional screening, assessment, and referral hub to provide developmental and behavioral health screening for 2,500 children, ensure timely referral and follow-up for children requiring additional services, and deliver caregiver education and early intervention through the nurturing parenting program and wellness on wheels outreach. Licensed mental health professionals will provide infant and early childhood mental health consultation (iecmhc) to strengthen the capacity of early childhood professionals, promote healthy caregiver-child relationships, and improve access to developmentally appropriate behavioral health services. By leveraging met's existing programs, strong start will strengthen existing systems rather than duplicate services. The project will improve workforce capacity, increase access to early identification and referral, strengthen caregiver-child relationships, expand access to behavioral health services, and create a sustainable regional model that improves behavioral health outcomes for children and families throughout southeast texas.