Supporting Ontario's Youngest Minds:

Investing in the mental health of children under 6. 

We know just how important the first six years are to child's short term and long term developmental outcomes.  These early years will influence their physical AND mental health as well as their success in school and the workforce. Investing in these early years pays off for the individual, the family, the community and society at large.

	Supporting Ontario's Youngest Minds provides an overview of research evidence and information to promote policy, practice and research that is truly based on the science of infant and early mental health. The paper establishes a shared understanding of just how important the early years are to a child's wellbeing and how important it is that these years be considered in our discussions about mental health to support a lifespan approach promoting mental health and wellbeing.    It's focus is on infant and early childhood mental health availability and accessibility in Ontario, with the purpose of advancing evidence-informed policy recommendations to strengthen infant and early childhood mental health services in the province. Visit the Ontario Centre for Child & Youth Mental Health website for more information.
	Beyond Building Blocks Investing in the Lifelong Mental Health of Ontario's Three to Six-Year- Olds offers up eight key recommendations based on our shared expertise and that of our 23-member advisory committee to guide our collective response to support positive mental health and well-being in Ontario’s three- to six-year-olds. Investing in the mental health care of the youngest Ontarians pays lifelong dividends to children, their families and their communities. That’s why we collaborated with Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child & Youth Mental Health and School Mental Health Ontario (formerly School Mental Health ASSIST) to develop a policy paper  focused on social-emotional development of little children. Check out the Beyond Building Blocks Investing in the Lifelong Mental Health of Ontario's Three to Six-Year-Olds Policy Paper.

A Beyond Building Block Webinar was also hosted to learn more about the foundational elements of infant and early mental health.

View the recording to hear how communities are working together across sectors to support infant and early mental health in collaborative, timely and relevant ways. Presented by Children’s Healthcare Canada. Presented by Children’s Healthcare Canada,  Purnima Sundar, PhD, the Executive Director (Acting) at the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health and Chaya Kulkarni, BAA, M.Ed., EdD, the Director of Infant and Early Mental Health Promotion (IEMHP) summarize best practices related to how early mental health can be promoted, how to respond when concerns arise, and what strategies or models of response are used by professionals and which are shown to be most effective.

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