Early Relational Health
We’re facing a children’s mental health crisis and our child care system cannot be left out of the solution.
Early relational health refers to the ability of young children and their caregivers to form strong, stable relationships that support healthy brain development and reduce the impact of early stress. This is especially important for children facing adverse experiences, as it helps improve long-term emotional, physical, and mental health.
Early education programs are key in building these relationships, but many lack the resources and staff training to fully support children's relational and social-emotional development, especially impacting children of Color and those in poverty.
Stay tuned for updates on our innovative new pilot to implement and evaluate these mental and behavioral health supports across a network of early childhood programs in Boston!
Neighborhood Villages is working to address these challenges in partnership with early education programs and infant and early childhood mental health experts across Massachusetts to create solutions that improve child and family well-being. Learn more about our groundbreaking Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) for early childhood, articulating a new model for increasing access to mental and behavioral health resources in child care settings.
Early Relational Health Work in Action
Meet Lisa Garcia, our new Director of Early Relational Health