Infant Mental Health (IMH) Certificate & Learning Circle

Scholarship Opportunity

2025 Infant Mental Health (IMH) Certificate & Learning Circle

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The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is pleased to offer an opportunity for Pennsylvania licensed Child Care providers, Head Start/Early Head Start and PA Pre-K Counts programs to participate in the University of Pittsburgh’s Infant Mental Health professional development certificate at no cost through a pilot program offering scholarships to professionals serving children and families in prenatal, infant, toddler and preschool programs.

OCDEL recognizes the challenges faced by providers across the Commonwealth in supporting the mental health and well-being of children and families in their early years, the critical role of the Early Learning professionals in a family’s supportive community has only been amplified in recent years. Traditionally, this course has been provided to Infant /Toddler Early Intervention, OCDEL-funded Home Visitors, Infant Early Childhood Mental Health, and Rapid Response team members. The opportunity to extend this course to providers is a result of ongoing discussions and evaluation of requests for Professional Development from the field.

OCDEL believes that the early childhood system is most impactful when our collaborative work is relationship-based, culturally sensitive, grounded in an understanding of developmental theory, research, and supported by reflective practice. OCDEL values the impact that our early childhood education professionals have on mental health and wellness of the families and young children in their care. This opportunity seeks to continue building the capacity of Early Learning professionals to partner with others and better support families in the Commonwealth.

Interested professionals are invited to apply for sponsorship through The Pennsylvania Key, on behalf of the Bureau of Early Learning Policy and Professional Development, OCDEL.

Application for IMH scholarship opens October 16, 2024, and closes on November 15, 2024. Applications can be accessed via Microsoft Forms: 2025 Infant Mental Health (IMH) Certificate & Learning Circle – Scholarship Application (office.com)

Online courses will become available to participants on January 15, 2025, and close on December 31, 2025.

By completing this course, students will understand current research, theory, practice, and application of Infant Mental Health specific to supporting very young children and their families. Students who complete this certificate program will receive a minimum of 28 PQAS training hours from the University of Pittsburgh.

This training content is aligned with the Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health Competency Guidelines for Endorsement in Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health®. The training content meets the specialized training requirements for Family Associate and Family Specialist categories of Endorsement. Infant and/or Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement is a “PLUS” on the Pennsylvania Early Childhood Education Career Pathway.

Applicant Criteria

Interested applicants must meet the following requirements:

Demonstrate at minimum, one year of experience working with young children and their families.
Have the ability to complete IMH Foundations course within timeframe.
- January 2025, through December 2025.
Participate in virtual Learning Circles.
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the Introduction Learning Circle on January 22, 2025, from 11:30am to 1:00pm.
- Attend a minimum of two additional Learning Circles.
  - Learning Circles occur monthly for 1.5 hours at two different times with a cohort of fellow professionals to discuss course content and application to your work.
  - An evening Learning Circle time will be offered.

Apply via Microsoft Forms

Completed applications due by November 15, 2024.

Apply Now

Approval and Evaluation Process for Candidates

In order to distribute the limited scholarships equitably throughout the Commonwealth and to support families and children in a culturally responsive and representative manner, consideration of the following will occur during the evaluation process for selection of candidates:

Provider type and area of service.
Number of children served by the provider.
Number of children with IFSPs and IEPs served by the provider.
Number of children who are Dual Language Learners served by the provider.
The applicant’s experience, education, and role.
The applicant’s ability to provide services in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner.
Supervisor approval and support for completion of the course

Registration Information & Timeline

October 16, 2024

Application period opens.

Interested applicants should review the Application Criteria before submitting a completed application via Microsoft Forms.

Questions specific to the application should be sent to info@pakeys.org.

Contact Lisa Gragg (lgragg@pattan.net) with questions specific to the scholarship.

November 15, 2024

Application period closes.

December 13, 2024

Accepted scholarship participants notified.

January 15, 2025

Online course opens.

This online course, Foundations of Infant Mental Health, will be available from January 15, 2025, through December 31, 2025.

January 22, 2025

Participants invited to Introduction Learning Circle webinar.

Participants are strongly encouraged to attend the Introduction Learning Circle from 11:30am to 1:00pm. More information to follow.

December 31, 2025

Online course closes.

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH)?

Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to promoting the social and emotional well-being of all infants, young children, and families within the context of secure and nurturing relationships. IECMH services support the growth of healthy attachment relationships in early infancy and childhood.

What content and time commitment can be expected?

The coursework includes academic and applied training based on current research to prepare participants for work with infants and their families with a relationship-based focus. The Foundations of Infant Mental Health Course will be offered through a self-paced learning option that includes 15-modules representing approximately 45-hours of training per participant. This course also includes an optional companion component titled, My Racial Journey, which provides an opportunity to build your own racial literacy skills.

Additional Information

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Alignment to PA Association for Infant Mental Health Endorsement

Completion of all coursework meets knowledge requirements for the Family Associate and Family Specialist categories of Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health® through the Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health (PA-AIMH). Information on Endorsement® is available at pa-aimh.org. Additional details will be forthcoming to sponsored students.

Question about Endorsement can be directed to the Endorsement Coordinator at paaimh.e.coordinator@gmail.com

Course Structure

The IMH Foundations course is a 15 module, 45-hour, self-paced learning opportunity filled with multimedia presentations, activities, and reflection. Each module contains approximately three hours of coursework. With the recognition that many sponsored students will be working full time, the timeframe for completion has been extended to make coursework and study more manageable. To access the course and materials, students are recommended to have access to a computer with a speaker, microphone, and internet.

In addition to coursework, virtual Learning Circles will be facilitated to provide an opportunity for students to discuss course content (two modules at a time) and its application to their work. Professionals taking the course will be able to participate in virtual Learning Circles that will be held through December 2025 for approximately 1.5 hours monthly to share ideas, resources, and application of knowledge. Learning Circles will be offered twice monthly to accommodate participants’ schedules. Learning circles will include Early Learning professionals from a variety of focus areas.

Foundations of Infant Mental Health Course Outline

Module 1: An Introduction to Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Module 2: The Growing Brain and Why It Is No Small Matter
Module 3: The Multicultural Practitioner
Module 4: Factors That Affect Brain Growth and Development
Module 5: Social Emotional Development
Module 6: Attachment in Early Childhood Relationships
Module 7: Communication and Language Development
Module 8: Cognition and Executive Functions
Module 9: Understanding Infant and Early Childhood Behavior
Module 10: The Critical Importance of Play
Module 11: Birth, Parenthood and Risks
Module 12: Early Childhood Adversity and Trauma
Module 13: Working with Parents and Caregivers
Module 14: Infant Mental Health Approaches to Helping
Module 15: The Reflective Early Childhood Provider

Questions? Contact

The Pennsylvania Key

About the Application

Email info@pakeys.org.

Lisa Gragg

About 2025 Infant Mental Health (IMH) Certificate & Learning Circle Scholarship

Email lgragg@pattan.net.

Dr. Robert Gallen

About the IMH program at the University of Pittsburgh

Email robert.gallen@pitt.edu.