The mental health of children is a current concern, and this applies even to the earliest years of a child’s life. This book supports trainees and practitioners working in early years contexts to understand the risk factors which can result in the development of mental health needs in children from birth to 5. It argues that high quality early years provision can mitigate against some of these risk factors and provides clear, evidence-informed guidance around government policy, transitions, attachment and working with parents or carers.

The mental health of children is a current concern, and this applies even to the earliest years of a child’s life. This book supports trainees and practitioners working in early years contexts to understand the risk factors which can result in the development of mental health needs in children from birth to 5. It argues that high quality early years provision can mitigate against some of these risk factors and provides clear, evidence-informed guidance around government policy, transitions, attachment and working with parents or carers.

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Helps teachers to identify and support primary-aged children with mental health needs, providing a range of evidence-based tools. The mental health and well-being of children in primary schools is a current concern. Do you feel equipped to identify mental health needs in your pupils? Do you have the knowledge and understanding to adequately support them? Do you understand where your responsibilities start and stop? This book helps you address these questions and more, providing a range of evidence-based strategies and tools. It introduces the various risk factors involved, shows how you can build resilience in children, and focuses on identifying and supporting both specific mental health needs and particular groups of pupils.

A new, fourth edition of the essential text for all those working towards the Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training. This new edition takes into account the refreshed ETF standards while still incorporating key information on reflective practice, study and research skills, and providing full coverage of all mandatory units. Accessible language is combined with a critical approach that clearly relates practical examples to the required underpinning theory. This fourth edition: includes a new end of chapter feature to develop evidence-informed practice recognises the need to provide better support and guidance to learners around gender, sexuality, racism, mental health and well-being supports the revolution in online practices and its implications for hybrid work and learning patterns reflects the escalating importance of the sustainability agenda and the need to decolonise the curriculum considers apprenticeships and new Ofsted foci and terminology is suitable for use with all awarding organisations and HEIs provides the depth and criticality to meet level 5 requirements.