When it comes to mental health in young children, every interaction matters! Learn more about brain development in the first five years, and how you can positively impact that development in every interaction, every day.

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.

Course information:

• Start Date: On-demand
• Course Level: Beginner
• Requirements/Prerequisites: n/a
• Course Meeting Times: n/a
• Completion Timeline/Duration: 30 days

Course includes:

• 3 Hours of Course Material
• Online, Self-Paced Content
• 1 Months of Access to Course
• Video Content
• Discussion Forums
• Digital Badge
• Certificate of Completion with PD Hours
• 24/7 Access to Transcript

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

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.”

Not a member?: Join to save!

Course Author

Rachel Hutchison

Rachel Hutchison is the Manager of Online Instructional Design at the National Head Start Association (NHSA). In this role she oversees the design and management of 100+ online courses for the Academy at NHSA. In 2021, Hutchison launched NHSA in the Classroom, an initiative that aims to increase access to world-class arts and educational resources through virtual programming. Rachel earned her bachelors in writing and communication at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and her masters in creative writing at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. Rachel grew up in Havre, Montana and enjoys puppetry, music, and hiking.