United Way of Allen County Launches Training Series Around Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Mar 11, 2025
FORT WAYNE (MARCH 11, 2025) – United Way of Allen County is proud to announce its partnership with the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health to offer two specialized training series – one for mental health clinicians and another for childcare providers and home visitors – focused on Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) principles. Each participant will complete 55 hours of in-depth IECMH training.
The foundation of early childhood development lies in mental health, which begins in a child’s earliest days, even before birth. While awareness of emotional well-being has grown, the mental health of infants and young children is often overlooked or misunderstood. Brain development in the prenatal and first three years of life advances at rates that exceed any other period of life. From birth to age five, the quality of a child’s experiences – positive or negative – shapes how their brain develops, which provides the foundation for all their future learning, behavior, and health.
Infant mental health-informed principles provide a framework for understanding and nurturing the emotional well-being of infants and young children within the context of their relationships. These principles are grounded in decades of research that highlight the critical role that early relationships, experiences, and environments play in shaping a child’s social, emotional, and developmental health.
“United Way of Allen County is dedicated to ensuring mental health support is accessible to all members of our community including our most vulnerable and youngest citizens” states Ruthie Hall, Director of Community Impact. “Through this training, we are addressing both the intervention and prevention aspects of the issue,” she explains.
United Way hopes that the clinician training will develop a team of professionals capable of providing in-person infant and early childhood mental health consultation to childcare providers and families in Allen County—a service that is currently unavailable. Additionally, the training for childcare providers and home visitors will equip them with fundamental tools to recognize the importance of infant mental health and understand when referrals for additional services may be necessary.
Early intervention is key to preventing lifelong challenges. By supporting healthy development in these formative years, professionals can help reduce the risk of future behavioral, developmental, or mental health issues. Infants do not exist in isolation—supporting their caregivers is equally important. When parents, caregivers, and childcare providers feel seen, supported, and equipped, they are better able to provide nurturing care for their children.
Thanks to the Early Years Initiative Grant from Early Learning Indiana, supported by the Lilly Endowment, these training opportunities are available at no cost to participants, with scholarships valued at $2,800 per individual.
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About United Way of Allen County
Established in 1922, United Way of Allen County works to cultivate and advance community solutions that change the lives of families and individuals who are working hard but struggling to survive. Through advocacy, agency investments, collaborative initiatives, and volunteerism, we will boldly impact critical community issues in Allen County. For more information, please visit www.unitedwayallencounty.org.
About Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health
The Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health is a global organization dedicated to strengthening the infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) workforce. Through its network of state and international Associations for Infant Mental Health (AIMHs), the Alliance provides leadership in advancing reflective supervision/consultation (RSC), competency-based training, workforce development, and the Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement® (IECMH-E®).
The Alliance works to ensure that professionals serving infants, young children, and families are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and reflective capacities necessary to provide culturally responsive, relationship-based care. By collaborating with AIMHs and allied organizations, the Alliance supports the development of sustainable systems that promote strong, healthy relationships between infants, caregivers, and communities. For more information, please visit www.allianceaimh.org.