ABOUT US

Infant and Early Mental Health Promotion is a program of the Hospital for Sick Children that strives to work with practitioners to strengthen knowledge and practice about infant and early mental health.

Vision

Healthy minds from the beginning.

Mission

To improve outcomes across the lifespan, we translate and promote the science of early mental health into practice with families during pregnancy, infancy and early childhood.

Values

Sharing knowledge to build capacity and promote scientific inquiry
Leadership through advocacy, resource development, and informing promising practices
Understanding guided by science and the experience and wisdom of others
Equity, diversity and inclusivity as cornerstones for building upon community strengths
Relationships and collaboration as the foundation for all that we do

Beliefs

The first five years of life have a unique and formative impact on development, relationships and functioning throughout life.
Service providers require a specific knowledge and skill-base to provide care in the area of infant and early childhood mental health.
Many adverse outcomes can be prevented when parents and other caregivers are provided with support that enables them to be optimally responsive to their infants and young children.
As families have the central role in the lives of their children, it is essential to collaborate with families to build on their strengths and reduce their risks.
Services must be sensitive to the diverse needs and coping styles of families from varying cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, and to children and caregivers who have diverse health and developmental needs.