DC: 0-5 Provider Benefits
A strong Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) system that best supports young children and families requires collaboration between highly trained infant and early childhood professionals in a variety of roles and systems of care
Why we offer DC: 0-5 Training
Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers can have mental health and developmental disorders that affect their social-emotional well-being, relationships, learning, and even physical health. Many children in Washington experience stressors such as poverty, racism, maltreatment, trauma, and toxic stress, which can increase their risk that IECMH problems may emerge.
As the use of DC: 0-5 becomes a more prominent focus in our State and across the country, this training will keep you up to date and ahead of the curve in IECMH advancements.
DC: 0-5 can help expand your abilities in these areas
Very young children have limited ways to express when something is wrong, and they need support that is tailored to them. DC: 0–5 is developmentally informed, relationship-based, and contextually and culturally grounded. Learning about this approach benefits providers by:
- Increasing confidence in referring young children for appropriate assessment and intervention.
- Improving skills in recognizing, assessing, and/or treating mental health problems in very young children.
- Creating a shared language about infant and early childhood mental health that can be understood across different programs and fields of work.
- Growing the ability to advocate for the young children and families in communities.
- Improving outcomes for babies, young children and families through the use of IECMH approaches.
- Enhancing your knowledge and understanding of early development and mental health
Who is DC: 0-5 Designed For?
Mental Health Providers
DC: 0-5 was designed to help mental health professionals recognize mental health and developmental challenges in babies and very young children and use diagnostic criteria effectively for classification, case formulation and intervention
Training in the DC: 0-5 is free for Apple Health mental health providers serving children birth through age five in Washington State.
Allied Professionals
Allied professionals who support social-emotional well-being in children birth through age five through a range of services, including early learning, intervention, home visiting, pediatric healthcare, and others. Allied professionals may be the first to notice emerging mental health problems or hear concerns from families.
Training in the DC: 0-5 is free for providers serving children birth through age five enrolled in Apple Health in Washington State.
Examples of Allied Professionals include
- Individuals working within fields that serve the early childhood population, such as pediatric primary or specialty care, home visiting, early intervention, developmental services (ABA/OT/PT/ST), early education and care, infant-early childhood mental health consultation, family resource coordination, child welfare, family treatment/early childhood court, economic supports, cultural or spiritual/religious community-based programming.
- Mental health or substance use disorder (SUD) professionals who work with the families (parents, caregivers, and/or siblings) of infants and young children.
- Non-mental health professionals working within the behavioral health field, such as peer counselors, care coordinators, supervisors, billing staff, office managers, and agency administrators.
- Individuals who oversee the policy and finance of the behavioral health and/or early childhood fields, such as health maintenance organization staff, private funders, advocates, legislators, federal, state, and county agency staff.
