Talking Points

It is important to study depression in Early Head Start families because the population served, low-income families, are at risk for stress and depression. Parental depression has also been linked to poorer child functioning, especially when children are young. So, it is important to understand that many families may be experiencing the distress associated with depression. It is also important to examine the role of Early Head Start in preventing depression, preventing the consequences of depression for families who are experiencing problems, and linking families with needed mental health services.

While depression is perhaps the most common mental illness, it is important to note that it often occurs in the context of other problems, and is often the result or side effect of other problems. Some Early Head Start families also experience mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and substance use.

As a comprehensive child development program, Head Start has long been concerned with supporting the social and emotional well-being of children and families and with providing and/or accessing services for those families with mental health needs. In fact, the Head Start Program Performance Standards require each program to obtain a mental health consultant (1304.52), as well as timely and responsive services (1304.24) and family-centered mental health services and education (1304.40).

Additional Information:

Many in the Head Start community, both parents and staff, are struggling to understand and address the mental health needs of very young children. It has been a particular challenge for Head Start programs serving infants and toddlers, as there are relatively few resources available to meet the needs of our youngest children. In order to support programs in this work, in October 2000, the Head Start Bureau convened a national meeting of experts in the field, including Early Head Start staff, parents, experts from the multiple clinical and research fields whose work relates to infant mental health, along with other federal partners and interested stakeholders. The report from that meeting details rationale for studying infant mental health, principles to guide work, and suggested action steps for the Head Start Bureau.

As an outcome of that meeting, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) has funded the Early Head Start National Resource Center at Zero to Three to engage in training and technical assistance activities designed to raise awareness and create and disseminate resources for programs (see http://www.ehsnrc.org). In addition, ACYF has funded the Early Promotion and Intervention Research Consortium to develop and test approaches that support the mental health of infants and toddlers and their families in Early Head Start (see the following URL: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/ehs/epirc/index.html)

Discussion Questions:

• Does your staff feel prepared to work with families suffering from mental illness?
• What resources do staff have to draw on? Mental health consultant? Sources for referrals? Supervision? Training opportunities?
• What relationships do you have with community mental health agencies?