Colorado Foundations of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health for
Early Childhood Professionals and Partners (Colorado Foundations)

CoAIMH is currently recruiting 5-8 Bilingual (Spanish-speaking) Colorado Foundations Master Trainers.
Applications are DUE Monday, December 17, 2018. Details can be found here. 

November 2018: Thanks to the generous support of the Buell Foundation, CO Foundations is currently being revised based on 2017 evaluation data. With these same funds, the fully revised curriculum will then be linguistically and culturally translated into Spanish. CoAIMH anticipates that the revised and translated course will be available for implementation by late Spring/early Summer 2019. CoAIMH is seeking Spanish-speaking Master Trainers, and will be offering an application process to identify qualified candidates later this month. To learn more, please reach out to info@coaimh.org. 

Colorado Foundations is CoAIMH’s new 9-module foundational training for infant and early childhood professionals. The course is unique in its ability to promote a shared understanding and common language of infant and early childhood mental health principles to all professionals who touch the lives of infants and toddlers and their families. In doing so, Colorado’s early childhood community will be equipped to provide a continuum of high-quality, consistent infant and early childhood mental health supports to children and families. (PLEASE NOTE that Colorado Foundations is not intended to replace advanced clinical knowledge and training that would prepare a professional to provide evidenced-based clinical treatment.) 

The intended audience of the course is Early Intervention providers and service coordinators, early care and education providers, home visitors, public health nurses, and other early childhood providers. Further, the curriculum content supports the Competencies associated with the Infant Mental Health Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health (IMH-E®), which facilitates the growth of necessary knowledge for those professionals seeking the IMH-E®. 

The course is designed to be delivered locally and in person. Colorado Foundations can be delivered in a format that best meet the needs of the community, e.g., a 9-week/month learning collaborative that allows for a deep dive into each Module at each session, a 3-day intensive training that covers 3 modules each day, etc. The complete training offers approximately 18-20 contact hours of continuing education, depending on the chosen training format. 

If you are interested in bringing the Colorado Foundations course to your agency/community, you can apply to become a Host Community here. 

Course Overview

Module 1: Introduction to Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

Goal: Setting the stage for learning about infant and early childhood mental health

Module 2: Child and Family Development

Goal: Developmental milestones and implications for infant and early childhood mental health  

Module 3: Relationships

Goal: Relationships as a vehicle for infant and early childhood mental health and well-being

Module 4: Building a Brain – Biology and Environment

Goal: The connection between brain development and infant and early childhood mental health

Module 5: Early Adversity and Toxic Stress

Goal: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and how bodies respond to stress

Module 6: Self-Care

Goal: Self-care for early childhood professionals (based extensively on the work of the Devereux Center for Resilient Children)

Module 7: Reflective Practice

Goal: How and why to engage in reflective practice

Module 8: Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity Considerations

Goal: The role of culture in childhood development 

Module 9: Professional Roles and Identity

Goal: Identify strategies to engage in collaborative practices across disciplines