Our Mission
AIMHiTN supports professionals through training, resources, and advocacy to foster the early relational health of infants, young children, and families.
Our Vision
AIMHiTN envisions a healthy, thriving Tennessee that prioritizes the social and emotional developmental needs of every infant and young child within the context of their relationships with family, community, and culture.
AIMHiTN Is A Multidisciplinary Non-Profit Organization For All Professionals Who Support The Development Of Children Birth Up To Age 6.
TO ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD WORKFORCE, WE OFFER:
Infant Mental Health Endorsement (IMH-E®) - a credential for professionals working with children birth to age 3 and their families
Developing professional capacities within the early childhood workforce utilizing evidence-based best practices in supporting infants and young children.
Training and Outreach
Increasing public awareness of how early experiences influence early relationships and impact development.
Technical Assistance
Fostering partnerships, policies and best practices to better support healthy development in infants, young children and their families.
AIMHITN SEEKS TO CREATE
Strong Foundations. The research in child development shows that the foundation for sound mental health is built early in life. Just like building a house begins with a strong foundation, a strong foundation in children’s early years increases the probability of lifelong positive outcomes.
Healthy Relationships. Healthy child development is dependent on safe and stable relationships with sensitive and responsive adults. When children have healthy relationships, they are better able to express and manage their emotions, form relationships with peers and other adults, and explore their environment and learn.
Bright Futures. Early investments reap dividends as child development translates into economic development later on. A child with a solid foundation becomes part of a solid community and contributes to our society.
Belonging
AIMHiTN has an unwavering commitment to individual and organizational efforts that:
Recognize, reflect on, and promote self-awareness of preconceived judgments.
Embrace lived experiences and various ways of knowing and being.
Address long-standing, systemic barriers to child and family well-being.
Promote a culture of belonging and equity for all infants, young children, and the caregivers and professionals who care for them.
History: Tennessee Infant And Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative (TIECMHI)
AIMHiTN was born out of TIECMHI. TIECMHI brings together individuals and agencies interested in infant and early childhood mental health to develop relationships across departments and agencies, identify existing resources and opportunities, and begin to identify what is needed to address the mental health needs of infants, young children, and their families.”
TIECMHI developed a plan for developing capacity of the early childhood workforce: Moving Upstream to Promote Optimal Social and Emotional Development of Infants and Young Children: A Plan for the State of Tennessee (Tennessee Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative, 09/28/12)
The desired outcomes are:
a collective recognition of the importance of social and emotional development on lifelong health, development and learning;
a collective understanding of the central role of relationships in promoting optimal social and emotional development;
a collective acknowledgement of the window of opportunity to promote optimal social and emotional development in infants and young children because of the rapid brain formation and susceptibility to environmental influences; and
the creation of a comprehensive service delivery system for infants and young children and their families who require additional supports and intervention throughout Tennessee.
Goal 1: Raise public awareness for parents, caregivers, family members, professionals and the community at large of the unique social and emotional needs of children birth through age five and the consequences of poor social and emotional development.
Rationale: Extensive research highlights how early experiences and relationships form the basis for further development and learning as well as impact lifelong health. For communities to take effective action, all stakeholders must acquire this knowledge and understand how to apply these research findings.
Goal 2: Ensure that parents, caregivers, family members and providers involved across all disciplines and systems touching the life of a child know strategies to promote social and emotional competence.
Rationale: Training for parents, caregivers, family members and all professionals working with children typically emphasizes physical and cognitive aspects of child development. More recent knowledge about effective interventions for helping children achieve social and emotional developmental milestones has not yet been fully integrated into training and education programs. While a comprehensive plan to develop an infant and early childhood mental practice specialty in appropriate disciplines is an important long-range goal, trainings for current practitioners can readily incorporate the strategies and practical implications of new research. Given that many practitioners will continue to be working in the field for another twenty to thirty years it is essential that they receive continuing education in order to apply and incorporate new research findings.
Goal 3: Develop a governance structure, public policies and financing mechanisms that support the promotion of healthy social and emotional development through cross-system collaborative prevention, early intervention, and treatment for children birth to age five.
Rationale: Current policies often do not view young children as needing or benefiting from mental health support or intervention, resulting in delayed interventions and insufficient school readiness with consequent long-term burdens on families, communities, and other public sector domains.
Goal 4: Develop a coordinated system to identify children birth to age five and their families that could benefit from additional supports and a consistent referral procedure to services in the context of the family, culture, and community.
Rationale: For children to begin school ready to learn and for families to receive appropriate formal supports when needed, an organized and effective method of screening and referring children is essential to make sure every child and family receive help at the earliest possible opportunity.
Goal 5: Create a system for providing early mental health assessment, treatment and transition planning for children birth to age five and their families.
Rationale: Traditional mental health services have not acknowledged that very young children can have mental disorders or be able to benefit from treatment; as a result, a system of care does not exist. New research has produced evidence that demonstrates mental disorders do appear in children before the age of five and that those children can make progress through effective treatment. Because some risks are exacerbated by the stressors encountered when transitioning into the school system, transitioning children from an early childhood system of care to a supportive school environment is a necessary component of a continuum of care.