Hi,
I’ve just been reading a very interesting study by the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development called ‘Are We Leaving Them Behind?’. It’s all about how childcare providers and parents should be helped to address behavioural problems in very young children.
Here’s an excerpt:
“The Jewish Healthcare Foundation focused on behavioral health services for young children in response to requests by service and advocacy organizations. Initially, these requests were in the form of proposals for funds to expand or improve training of early care and education1 teachers and aides to strengthen their skills in caring for increasing numbers of children exhibiting difficult to manage behaviors. As these requests continued, the Foundation decided it would be prudent to develop a full understanding of the extent of the problem locally and the availability of effective assistance to help the teachers and aides. In the process, the Foundation planned to identify wise investments for JHF and necessary actions by other key organizations.
But first, there was a need to learn: Is this a serious problem? Are there a growing number of young children with serious behavioral problems? Are early care and education teachers and aides able to address these behavioral problems? Do they (or parents) know where to turn for help? Whom do they call for help, and is there an effective response? In situations where parents are desperately searching for help, is there any special assistance? Is there any organization in charge or likely to take charge of improving behavioral health supports to young children and their caregivers? What are the obstacles to providing a seamless system of behavioral expertise for caregivers and parents? Are leading organizations ready to make behavioral health services for young children a priority? And especially, how might organizations provide real-time assistance when there is an immediate need for help with a child exhibiting serious behavioral problems?
To better understand and document the extent of the problem locally and the current status of behavioral health services available to children from birth to age five in early care and education settings in Allegheny County, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation commissioned the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development to conduct an environmental scan. The scan was guided by the following questions:”
You can read the whole thing here: Are We Leaving Them Behind?
Talk soon,
Mary Nightingale
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