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Infant-Parent Training Institute: Maternal Mental Health Course now accepting applications

A mother's mental health affects her own sense of self, the well-being of her children, her close relationships, and the functioning of the family. A mother of an infant or young child who is struggling with depression, anxiety, or other emotional difficulties faces multiple challenges in coping and parenting. This course will examine the profound emotional transformation of becoming a mother, the influence of culture on maternal mental health, and the impact of mental health on the parent-child relationship. Included in the class sessions are issues of trauma, intergenerational parenting patterns, research on maternal depression, and mothering under special circumstances. Use of video and opportunities for exploring case material will be provided.

Summary of Pyramid Model Activities Offered by CBTI in the Spring of 2012

Foundations of the CSEFEL Pyramid Model CEU-bearing trainings continued through the winter and spring of 2012. Thirty-six providers participated in training at Catholic Charities programs in South Boston and Cambridge.  An Educator and Provider Support (EPS) Grant from Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care supported training in Taunton for 10 providers.

Working with Families in Supporting Positive Behavior: Using the CSEFEL Pyramid Model Family Modules was offered in April 2012 in Worcester, MA. This two-day series was based on the evidence-based, user-friendly CSEFEL Parent Training Modules for professionals who work with parents and family members. Over 90 participants came from a variety of program types, including Early Intervention, center-based, family child care, and Coordinated Family and Community Engagement Centers.

Thirty-four faculty members from both two and four-year institutions of higher education and members of the CSEFEL State Leadership Team participated in the CSEFEL Pyramid Model Higher Education Institute, a two-day seminar featuring strategies for incorporating information from the CSEFEL Pyramid Model into existing Early Childhood Education (ECE) coursework for children from birth to age six, was held in early June 2012. This provided full-time and adjunct ECE faculty with materials, sample syllabi, resources, and practices that will enable sharing of the evidence-based CSEFEL Pyramid Model Framework with students. The Institute also featured presentations from ECE programs currently implementing the Pyramid Model in Massachusetts.

Betsy Leutz and Mary Watson Avery Reflect on Teaching Teachers to Help Children Manage Emotions

Betsy Leutz and Mary Watson Avery reflected on a study by the University of Illinois about training teachers to handle children's emptions in a recent blog post on the Aspire Wire! View their reflections and add your own by visiting their post.

CBTI Completes Online Learning Module For Early Intervention Training Center

CBTI Director Betsy Leutz and staff members Mary Watson Avery and Laura Beals, the Aspire Institute’s Barbara Joseph, and a team of talented consultants have just completed a 1½-hour narrated online module, Supporting Infant and Early Childhood Social-Emotional Well-being: Introduction to Theory and Practice.

The module, development of which has been supported through a contract with the Massachusetts Early Intervention Training Center (EITC), introduces concepts of infant and early childhood mental health within the context of families, communities and provider practice. It may serve as either a stand-alone overview or as the introduction to further training and reflective practice in infant and early childhood mental health and social-emotional development.

Online hosting of the module, through the EITC, is expected to begin in early FY’13. Participants will register for the training through the EITC and will be eligible for continuing education credits when they successfully complete all module activities. The module may be taken as a stand-alone or as Module 1 of CBTI’s revised (2012) IN-TIME Training in Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health.

CSEFEL Pyramid Model Higher Education Institute

We at Connected Beginnings are excited to be helping to organize and present this first ever CSEFEL Pyramid Model Higher Education Institute in Massachusetts, on June 7-8. Please know that the CSEFEL materials are not only for early childhood educators. Connected Beginnings has been working with the CSEFEL materials in in-service training, for the past 3 years. We know that these evidence-based materials could be useful to higher education across disciplines and sectors, for pre-service preparation in social work, human services and work with infants, toddlers and families, too. 

The CSEFEL Pyramid Model Higher Education Institute is a two-day seminar featuring strategies for incorporating information from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) Pyramid Model into existing ECE coursework for children birth-6. This special event will provide full-time and adjunct ECE faculty, from both two and four-year institutions of higher education, with materials, sample syllabi, resources, and practices that will enable sharing of the evidence-based CSEFEL Pyramid Model Framework with students. Breakout sessions will include: promoting relationships and positive environments; teaching social skills; and developing Positive Behavior Support Plans for individual children. The institute will also feature presentations from ECE programs currently implementing the Pyramid Model in Massachusetts.

Introduction to Ages & Stages Screening Tools

Region 4 is offering a training on Saturday, May 5, 2012, on the Ages & Stages Screening tools, taught by Connected Beginnings' Mary Watson Avery. This training is designed to assist infant and early childhood program staff with the QRIS process and is funded through EEC and Wheelock College, Center For Assessment and Screening Excellence (CASE).

 

Course details:

Saturday, May 5, 2012, 9 AM - 2:30 PM

Home Health & Child Care Services, Inc.

15 Jonathan Drive, Unit 5

Brockton, MA 02301

 

Brain Building in Progress Week (April 22-28)

Across the commonwealth, Massachusetts communities are celebrating Brain Building in Progress Week, April 22-28, during the national Week of the Young Child. Whenever you see children interacting and learning in enriching environments, what you’re really seeing is brain building in progress. The latest science shows that these early experiences actually build the architecture of the developing brain, much like a house is built from the bottom up. Each sequential step lays the groundwork for the next set of skills — like reading and math — and a lifetime of learning, success and productive, responsible citizenship. To celebrate the week, the Department of Early Education and Care has released a video featuring Commissioner Sherri Killins. More information about Brain Buliding in Progress Week can be found on the Brain Building in Progress website. 

Wheelock College Named to President Obama's Honor Roll

Wheelock College is thrilled to share some exciting news with our community. Wheelock is now a member of President Obama’s 2012 Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. The College was recognized with the award for our strong institutional commitment to service, developing campus-community partnerships that produce measurable impact, and engaging students in meaningful service. Wheelock is among 110 national colleges including six Massachusetts colleges named with the Honor Roll with Distinction award.

Please read on for more information about the Presidents’ Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

CSEFEL Foundations Course Coming to Quincy and Taunton

Registration is now open for the Foundations of the CSEFEL Pyramid course, being offered in Quincy and Taunton. This 15-hour, 6-session course combines instruction on theory, specific implementation strategies and the use of reflection to support social-emotional development and address challenging behavior in young children, ages birth through 6 years. Based upon the CSEFEL Modules for early education and care this course is designed for teachers, mental health consultants, program supervisors and administrators.

Participants who complete this course are eligible for 1.5 educator CEUs.

For additional information about the Foundations of the CSEFEL Pyramid Model course evaluation and results, click here.

For details about the training sessions, or to register for a course, please click "Read more" or visit the course pages for Quincy and Taunton.

IPTI Master Class: Treatment of Complex Childhood Trauma: A Flexible Approach for Supporting Resilience in Children and Families

There is an increased awareness of the number of infants, young children, and their families who have experienced multiple and/or prolonged traumatic stress. No one protocol, approach, or intervention can meet all of the needs. In this Master Class, Dr. Blaustein will present the theoretical approach, the core domains, and the building blocks of ARC (Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency), a flexible, guiding structure to inform our approach to engaging with young children and families.