Mental Health Consultation in Child Care

Book excerpt: Mental Health Consultation in Infant?Toddler Child Care addresses the impact of the caregiver'child relationship on the mental health of young children. As young children spend more and more time in child care programs, those programs have an increasingly significant effect on their healthy social and emotional development. Kadija Johnston and Charles Brinnamen review current theory and offer practical suggestions for improving relationships between program directors, staff, parents, children, and mental-health consultants to help identify and remove obstacles to quality care. The authors also offer real-life examples of effective programmatic functioning, interstaff and parent'staff relationships, and direct child interventions. Mental health professionals at all levels, early childhood educators and trainers, and policy makers will find this book useful guide to making positive changes in the childcare environment.