The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #55781

Carole Upshur, EdD¹, Marji E Warfield, PhD², and Melodie Wenz-Gross, PhD¹. (1) Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Ave. North, Worcester, MA 01655, 508-334-7267, carole.upshur@umassmed.edu, (2) Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655

Over the past decade, child care programs have identified increasing numbers of preschool children with behavioral issues that cannot be readily addressed in group settings. Children are being suspended or dismissed from child care programs and arrive at public school kindergarten and first grade without the ability to follow directions, engage in sustained activities, delay gratification, or appropriately interact with peers. Out of control young children are identified as one reason for the high turnover and low morale among child care workers already stressed due to low pay and limited opportunities for career advancement. Public schools are concerned about the increasingly earlier identification of children with behavior problems and the need to provide special education supports for behaviorally challenged children starting in the earliest grades. Centers also describe the effects of such children on other children as creating “toxic classrooms.” This paper will describe the first year of a pilot project to provide mental health support services to children with externalizing and internalizing behavior problems identified through the Early Screening Project process at two urban child care centers. Together for Kids provides individual intervention to target children and families, teacher training and support, and center-wide parent and teacher training on early childhood behavioral health issues. Baseline and follow-up data on individual children, classroom climate, and teacher turnover and morale compared to two comparison sites will be presented. Implications for implementation of early childhood mental health services in conjunction with child care programs will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• At the completion of this session, participants will be able to:
• 1) identify some of the major early childhood behavioral health issues confronted in child care settings
• 2) analyze approaches to addressing early childhood mental health issues in child care settings
• 3) understand the impact of early childhood mental health issues on staff and other children and parents
• 4) identify intervention strategies that can address the behavioral health needs of preschool children in child care settings

Keywords: Child Care, Mental Health Services

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.