Infant-Family
Join us in creating and participating in learning spaces where equity, healing, and liberation is at the forefront and center for practitioners working with young children prenatal to five years of age and their families. We currently have an introductory series:
Early Childhood Mental Health
LEARNING SERIES
Why is understanding infant-family early childhood mental health so important?
“Family culture is present in all caregiving interactions. It is within culturally informed relationships that all development unfolds. Children learn to experience, regulate, and express emotions as defined by their cultural communities. Children form protective relationships with caregivers that can ensure their safety within inequitable and racist environments. Children bring their cultural self to learning environments using explorations, yet some are encouraged while others are punished.” - Dr. Barbara Stroud
Infant and early childhood mental health refers to the social-emotional well-being and development of children starting as early as the prenatal period and up until the age of five years old. Babies learn about themselves and experience the world in relationship to others. These relationships are impacted by the family culture and by the communities they live in. It is within the context of these complex relationships and social environment that development unfolds. Much like a seed buried in the soil, infants and very young children are impacted by both the soil around them and the conditions surrounding them. Any and every individual with the sacred responsibility to nurture this seed can significantly impact how the seedling grows and develops. Centering infant and early childhood mental health offers the possibility for the seedling to not only survive but to thrive, even when the conditions and those around them are challenged.
WHY Our ProgramS
Our programs shift from focus on the individual towards the collective. Whether you are looking for a space to begin/refresh reflective practice or a space created for and by Black, Indigenous, and persons of color (BIPOC), we seek to support you wherever you may be at in your journey. Our team is committed to centering and uplifting the voices of BIPOC practitioners, children, and families. As such, these learning communities are reimagined to be more inclusive spaces where belonging, intergenerational wisdom, story sharing, and cultural humility are centered. Just as young children learn best in the context of a safe and nurturing environment, we too hold relationships as both a value and a foundation to deepen learning about infant and early childhood mental health in a way that celebrates the humanity of one another and those we serve.
CONNECT WITH US
We would love to connect with anyone who wants to do equity-centered professional development or revolutionary reflective practice work locally. We are all needed in this work. Whether you are a provider who needs these spaces in order to reclaim your power, practice hope, and engage in healing to support children and families, or an ally thinking about what you can do to create equity-centered spaces where all of us can work together and move forward, or perhaps a leader or funder who can help us continue this work or grow it into your community, connect with us!
Contact Us
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. You can use this form or email us at:
Desiree Yoo, Project Lead
WestEd | Early Learning, Health, and Human Development Division
