Session: Research and Advocacy for Early Childhood Mental Health Services: The Together for Kids Coalition

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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

3203.0: Monday, November 06, 2006: 12:30 PM-2:00 PM

Oral

Research and Advocacy for Early Childhood Mental Health Services: The Together for Kids Coalition

This Panel will provide an overview on the perspectives of a range of stakeholders in the process of identifying and addressing a significant emerging community health issue. Five years ago, early childhood educators and service providers in Central Massachusetts began to take notice of the rapidly growing numbers of preschool children with out of control behaviors and the lack of resources to help children, families, and preschool teachers. The informal group solidified into a large and active community coalition, obtained demonstration and evaluation resources from a local health foundation oriented toward policy change, produced reports on both the issues and the outcomes, and initiated a public policy strategy. The evolution of the coalition and its strategies and policy successes will be described. The Coalition is actively working with state legislators and executive office staff to identify resources and models for state-wide programs to meet the social emotional needs of young children and their families.

Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the steps to forming a successful community coalition 2. Learn the specific strategies that engage various important stakeholders 3. Understand the role of evaluation and research findings in informing the coalition and the action steps

Organizer(s):

Carole Upshur, EdD

Moderator(s):

Carole Upshur, EdD

12:30 PM

Building a community coalition to affect early childhood mental health services