(Albany,
NY) Early childhood professionals from across the state gathered in Albany today. The summit brought together
several groups of professionals who work with young children in mental health,
early education and early intervention. The Early Care & Learning Council
along with the Council on Children and Families, the New York State Office of
Mental Health and the Bureau of Early Intervention at the New York State
Department of Health, hosted the
Infant Mental Health Summit at the Hotel Albany from 10am to 5pm.
The
summit provided a mix of presentations and working sessions. Participants
gained knowledge about infant mental health and the importance of early
attachments and early experiences on brain development. They engaged with
other professionals to examine the needs of young children and explore options
for systems change with an emphasis on early identification and early treatment
of social and emotional difficulties.
There
were two featured speakers; Gilbert M. Foley, EdD and Jeff Daly, MD. Dr. Foley
is professor at Yeshiva University and author of “Mental Health In Early
Intervention”. Dr. Daly is the Medical Director of Child and Adolescent
Outpatient Psychiatric Services at Four Winds Hospital in Saratoga Springs, NY.
His area of expertise is in pediatric psychopharmacology.
Senator
Kathy Marchione attened the summit to make opening remarks. Senator
Marchione said, “I am honored to speak at the Infant Mental Health Summit.
Children’s health is something that concerns us all. This summit brings
together professionals from the fields of early childhood, health care and
special education. I am excited to learn from them and see what kind of
collaborative work comes out of this event. So much can be accomplished when we
work together.”
Also
speaking at the summit are Donna Bradbury, Acting Deputy Commissioner for the
Division of Children and Families for the Office of Mental Health, Bob Frawley,
Deputy Director for the Council on Children and Families, Donna Noyes,
Co-Director of the Bureau of Early Intervention and Marsha Basloe, Executive
Director, Early Care and Learning Council.
“We
are so pleased to be a part of this Summit,” Ms Basloe said. “We need to work
across all disciplines serving children in order to shape real change and meet
the needs of our most vulnerable citizens”
The
Infant Mental Health Summit was the first step in developing a stronger
network of early childhood professionals. Small community grants will be
awarded for participants to continue to work towards a system that supports the
social emotional development and mental health needs of all children.
###
Early Care & Learning Council: For more than thirty-five years, the Early Care
& Learning Council has been a leading voice for early care and education in
New York State. With its statewide network of child care resource and
referral agencies, the Council has successfully fought for increases in funding
to support early childhood programs and for the reform of child care laws,
regulations and policies to improve safety and quality in child care
settings. The Council was a founder and convener of both the Child Care
that Works Campaign and Winning Beginning NY, both statewide advocacy
coalitions. The Council and partners work to increase the quality,
affordability and capacity of the early care and learning field and does so
through training and technical assistance, data management and advocacy initiatives.
For more information, please call (518) 690-4217 or visit www.earlycareandlearning.org.
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