Mental Health Basics

Young children’s brains are developing at a staggering rate, and they are constantly learning from their environment. This is why it is critical for everyone who works with or for young children to understand that they are making an impact every time they interact with a child, no matter how small or insignificant that interaction may seem to the adult.

In this course, learners will learn how to promote positive social-emotional development in children, which is the foundation of good mental health. Learners will improve their understanding of brain development and social-emotional development and leave with a deeper appreciation and ability to identify the moments when they can positively impact the lives of children.

Start Date: On-demand
Course Level: Beginner
Requirements/Prerequisites: n/a
Course Meeting Times: n/a
Completion Timeline/Duration: 30 days
Head Start Alignment: This course supports programs in meeting Head Start Program Performance Standard 1302.93 Staff health and wellness in which “a program must make mental health and wellness information available to staff regarding health issues that may affect their job performance, and must provide regularly scheduled opportunities to learn about mental health, wellness, and health education.”

Course Outline

Module Topics:

Supporting Young Children’s Mental Health
Brain Building + Toxic Stress
Social Emotional Learning

Learning Objectives:

• Understand your role in promoting positive social-emotional development
• Improve understanding of the core components of social-emotional learning
• Increase the number of strategies you use to address social-emotional development