Central California Children’s Institute News: Infant Mental Health Web-Based Training Series Draws Hundreds

The Central California Children’s Institute recently hosted a 15-part webinar series to raise awareness and a better understanding of the needs of infants and toddlers and to share strategies for promoting healthy social emotional development in the early years. The Institute has been an engaged advocate by providing infant-parent mental health training to early childhood practitioners to reduce the likelihood of poor mental and physical health outcomes in the later years.

The webinar series was sponsored by the Infant Mental Health Community Training Institute at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. Local funding support was generously provided by First 5 Fresno County.

In total, 149 individuals attended the series! According to the survey data gathered at each session, more than 70% of participants were non-Fresno State affiliated. Several counties in the Central Valley were represented, including Fresno, Merced, Tulare and Stanislaus. Nearly 75% of attendees had not participated in the prior Foundations Infant Mental Health Trainings sponsored by the Children’s Institute, reflecting both the CCCI’s reach to new audiences in the region, and a strong level of interest in infant-parent mental health.  Almost 90% of participants worked for an agency that provides services to children between the ages of birth and five.