Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) refers to the emotional, social, and cognitive development of children from birth to age five. This presentation explores the critical role of early relationships, responsive caregiving, and secure attachments in shaping brain development and lifelong mental health. Professionals will explore how early experiences shape the brain’s architecture and emotional regulation, discuss the importance of caregivers, early attachment, and responsive interactions, and learn practical approaches to foster well-being in young children.

All of us are born with an inherent need for connection, for the desire to engage with build relationships with others. This training will help to explain how a baby’s early relationship experiences set the stage for future brain functioning. We will show how healthy brain development depends on the quality and reliability of a young child’s relationships with the most important people in his/her life.

In this training, we will explore the critical stages of social and emotional development in the first five years of life and how educators and caregivers can effectively support young children during this formative period. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the key areas of the brain involved in social interactions and emotional responses, and how these areas shape children’s behaviors and reactions. We’ll also dive into the essential role of relationships and attachment, uncovering how strong, secure bonds are crucial for healthy emotional growth. Throughout the session, we will examine the impact of stress on social-emotional development and discuss strategies for minimizing its effects on young children. Finally, we’ll focus on the development of empathy, exploring how children begin to understand and relate to the emotions of others, and how to nurture this important skill. By the end of the training, you’ll have a well-rounded understanding of how to support and promote healthy social and emotional development in young children, setting the stage for future success and well-being.

This training offers an in-depth exploration of brain development from conception through age 5. Professionals will be educated on the structure and function of different brain regions, how nerve cells communicate and form connections, and the concept of neuroplasticity. Professionals will have the opportunity to gain understanding on how early experiences shape brain growth and influence future learning for children. The training will cover key factors affecting brain development, including the impact of stress, and introducing the “5 R’s”, a strategy designed to promote healthy brain development. As professionals impacting the lives of children in a vital way, this training aims to support the healthy and resilient growth of young children in both educational and caregiving environments through the educational building blocks of the brain.

This training explores the critical development of the brain in the first five years of a child’s life. Professionals will gain insight into how the brain shapes developmental skills, creating a map of vital landmarks, which take professionals on a journey to discover how language, behavior, and the brain lead to the treasure box of healthy development. Professionals will have the opportunity to learn and practice strategies supporting early communication skills, ultimately discovering how children's behavior is influenced by communication brain functions. Professionals will also discover how different areas of the brain work together to express behavior. Leading professionals to healthy tools and approaches when addressing challenging behaviors with the children they serve.

This session will emphasize the crucial role of early childhood literacy in laying a strong foundation for children's lifelong learning and development, enhancing the topic of literacy to new boarders. Attendees will explore why it is essential to cultivate literacy skills every day in a child’s life and how this practice supports long-term success. The presenter will share effective strategies to seamlessly integrate literacy throughout the day, enhancing traditional story time and providing new opportunities to engage young learners in meaningful reading and language experiences. Attendees will leave with practical tools to foster a love for reading and support literacy development in young children.

This training is designed to provide educators with a comprehensive understanding of the significant benefits and importance of students with disabilities in the classroom. By exploring how differing abilities enrich the learning environment, Educators will learn how these differences contribute to building stronger, more compassionate communities within schools. The training will emphasize the value of embracing students' unique strengths and challenges, showing how doing so fosters empathy, mutual respect, and meaningful collaboration. Through practical strategies and real-world examples, participants will discover how to cultivate a supportive atmosphere that not only enhances individual growth but also promotes teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills among all students. Ultimately, this training will equip educators with the tools and insights needed to create classrooms that celebrate differences and support the development of every student, regardless of ability.

All children deserve a welcoming environment to support their learning and growth. This training covers essential topics, such as fostering strong connections, advocacy, adapting education, collaboration, and promoting emotional well-being. We will also explore what high-quality practices look like when supporting children with disabilities and how to apply them effectively. You'll learn to celebrate every child and family on their journey and ensure every child can thrive. This training is for educators, parents, and anyone who wants to make a difference in the lives of children with disabilities.

This interactive training is designed to empower professionals with effective, evidence-based visual support strategies tailored for young children with developmental disabilities. Participants will explore a variety of tools—including choice boards, visual schedules, and emotion regulation charts—that can be seamlessly integrated into daily routines. Through real-world examples and hands-on activities, educators will learn how to use visual supports to enhance communication for children who may be nonverbal or have limited language skills, helping them express their needs, preferences, and feelings more clearly. They will also discover ways to foster independence by breaking tasks into manageable steps and offering consistent visual cues that support self-guided learning. In addition, the training will focus on using visual tools to support emotional regulation, helping children identify, understand, and manage their emotions in constructive ways. By promoting predictability and structure, these strategies contribute to environments that reduce anxiety, increase engagement, and encourage positive behavior.  Participants will leave with a toolkit of customizable, ready-to-implement resources and the confidence to apply them immediately in their own settings. This training is especially valuable for those working with young children who have a range of developmental needs.

This training focuses on helping early childhood educators recognize and respond to potential developmental concerns in young children. Participants will learn what early signs of delay may look like across different areas of development and how to observe and document those concerns in a clear, supportive way. The session also offers guidance on how to approach sensitive conversations with families, using strategies that foster trust, empathy, and collaboration. The goal is to equip educators with the confidence and tools to support each child’s growth while maintaining strong, respectful partnerships with parents.

This is an introductory session tailored toward those interested in applying for Infant Mental Health Endorsement® or the Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement®. Participants will learn more about the categories of Endorsement, requirements for each category, and the process for applying for Endorsement in Tennessee.

This training will provide a deep dive into the details of the pathway to earning Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement®. Participants will gain an understanding of the benefits of Endorsement®, how to begin the Endorsement® process, and an inside look at the application process.

FAN’s focus is upon strengthening the provider-parent relationship, resulting in parents who are attuned to their children and ready to try new ways of relating to them. Tools provided by FAN equip practitioners to read cues from parents and themselves and thereby provide more empathetic responses. Utilization of the FAN approach shows practitioners becoming more focused on parenting, more reflective and collaborative, and feeling less burnout. Supervisors present with more self-aware, ask more questions, process supervisees’ feelings and provide supervision, which was more reflective.

*This is a two day training.

Play is often associated with fun. But what about play being associated with learning? Development and brain growth? Exploration or independence and self-identity? This training will explore the critical role of play in children's development and how educators can effectively incorporate it into learning experiences. Professionals will seek to understand serve-and-return techniques, the various stages of play, and harnessing play in the classroom. This training will highlight the crucial role of caregivers in providing a secure, supportive environment that encourages children to explore and learn through play. By the close of the session, professionals will leave with practical strategies for integrating play in a way that supports children's development and enhances their learning experiences.

This session will take professionals through the dynamic stages and types of play that unfold in early childhood, highlighting how each stage unlocks new learning opportunities and developmental milestones. Professionals will have the opportunity to dive deep into the brain’s pivotal role in shaping and enhancing the play process, discovering how play is not just fun, but also a powerful engine for cognitive, emotional, and social growth. Professionals will explore the vibrant world of free play versus guided play, breaking down how each style nurtures different skills and allows children to explore their creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving abilities in unique ways. Professionals will gain a clear understanding of the core skills that emerge through play, from language development and motor skills to social interactions and emotional regulation. And, most importantly, professionals will walk away with practical, hands-on strategies to promote and maximize these skills in young children, ensuring that every play session is a steppingstone toward their future success. Get ready to turn playtime into a learning adventure that’s both fun and impactful!

Connection is an inherent human need and is imperative in building positive early relationships for young children. Children's early relational health and healthy development are optimal when they have a consistent, nurturing, and safe relationship with at least one primary caregiver. This training will explore the important role of professionals in children's early development and how they can create environments where children thrive, and all families experience a felt sense of connection.

This training allows a space for reflection on how we are currently stewarding ourselves, focusing on our self-care journey, rather than a destination. As professionals, the busyness of life can often hold us captive, making us feel like our schedules have taken over, denying us the ability to pour into ourselves. Through this workshop, we will define self-care and explore how to intentionally implement self-care in our day, using a multi-purpose lens to "work smarter, not harder." We will create space to wonder, express, and share, allowing each of us time to reconnect with ourselves. 

This hands-on training serves as part two to the continuation of the emotional well-being workshop series. Attendees will deepen their personal emotional wellness journey by building upon daily routines and practices introduced in the initial, Thrive to Survive, part one training. Through a focus on practical tools, attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of essential strategies to bolster self-compassion in our own minds. Attendees will hone in on three concepts: establishing healthy boundaries, reframing negative thought patterns, and cultivating positive self-talk.
This training emphasizes collaboration, self-reflection, and increased self-awareness, allowing attendees to explore the application of these tools in both their personal and professional lives, strengthening their mental health livelihood. For professionals in the infant and early childhood mental health field, nurturing our own well-being is vital as we dedicate ourselves to nurturing the children and families we serve.

This engaging and interactive training serves as part three to the continuation of the emotional well-being workshop series. We will focus on the enhancement of emotional well-being, exploring how the physical body plays a pivotal role in our own self-care journey. This training provides a fresh perspective, looking at three different factors of the physical body, including sleep hygiene, breathing, and movement, from a mental health positive view. Attendees will leave with an increased education, an understanding of the why behind these necessary tools, and initial application tips, furthering their own self-compassion by weaving each of the three factors into the tapestry of our individual self-care journeys.

This specialized training is designed for all professionals working with children 0-6 who dedicate themselves to nurturing others while often neglecting their own well-being. In high-demand caring professions, burnout isn't just a personal challenge—it's a professional hazard that affects quality of care and career longevity. Participants will explore how to integrate customized "micro-practices" into their busy workdays, build emotional boundaries while maintaining compassionate connections, and develop sustainable self-care habits for high-pressure periods.
Through interactive discussions and expert guidance, attendees will collaborate, share solutions, and foster a supportive community. They’ll leave with actionable strategies to sustain their passion while thriving professionally.

This training provides a foundational understanding for early childhood professionals when building connections with young children in foster care. This training will walk professionals through the TN DCS child welfare foundational processes and explore the different systems and key player professionals who provide services to young youth in foster care, sharing stories that provide context, as well as a deeper understanding of these valuable children’s daily lives. The goals of this training are to assist early childhood professionals in expanding their lens of the complex world of child welfare, including how the meaningful work they do every day directly correlates to improved positive health outcomes for these children.

Join us for practical guidance in implementing a strengths-based approach that identifies, celebrates, and promotes access to key Positive Childhood Experiences critical to the health and thriving of all children. We will review the research behind Positive Childhood Experiences, how that research led to the development of the HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) Framework, and what individuals can do to create a village that prioritizes access to the Four Building Blocks of HOPE to promote resilience for all children. Whether you’re a direct service provider, prevention partner, educator, or community organizer, come learn about how you can use the HOPE framework in the work you do to support the children and families in your community.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understanding the research behind Positive Childhood Experiences

2. Practice using "Type 2 thinking" to see strengths first

3. Reviewing the Four Building Blocks of HOPE and how they promote health and well-being

Every family has their own story that makes them unique and special. This session will highlight ways to engage families in using their uniqueness to create learning opportunities for their child in everyday routines and activities. The process of using coaching strategies to support parents while adhering to adult learning principles will be presented from research to practice framework.

Children experience a wide range of emotions, some of which can feel overwhelming and challenging to manage. This workshop will explore brain development, discuss what happens to the body when it feels stress, and focus on the three foundational principles- Regulate, Relate and Reason- that are crucial in helping young children handle big emotions effectively. Come join us as we learn together and begin the journey to enhancing our professional development through Endorsement, furthering our communities and the families we serve.

Self-regulation is a learned skill that does not come naturally to children. It is up to caregivers to teach children healthy tools that help manage their emotions through co-regulation. Presenters will discuss how to co-regulate in three steps: provide a warm, responsive relationship; structure the environment; and teach self-regulation skills. Attendees will leave with co-regulation tools they can use in their classroom when big feelings arise. Children all learn and grow differently, therefore, not all tools work for every child. The more tools in our toolbox, the more resources, and techniques we have to utilize successfully.

Recent research emphasizes the profound impact fathers have on young children's development, highlighting the timeless importance of fatherhood. In response, early childhood programs are increasingly implementing initiatives to support dads in engaging meaningfully in their children’s lives. Join us for an insightful session to hear from a variety of fathers with a wide range of lived experiences, as they share their unique perspectives and what roles they are playing in their child’s early years. We’ll also explore key considerations for building or enhancing fatherhood programs that foster strong, supportive connections between fathers and young children.

The experience of birth lays the foundation for a child’s early relationships and overall development. This presentation explores the impact of birth on bonding and attachment, highlighting how adverse birth experiences can influence the parent-infant relationship. We will examine the physiological and emotional effects of these types of experiences, the signs of disrupted and healthy attachment, and strategies for promoting healing and secure connections. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how to support families in the critical early months, fostering resilience and healthy attachment from the very beginning.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the potential physiological and emotional effects of adverse birth experiences on infants and caregivers, and how these experiences may influence early bonding and attachment.

2. Recognize the signs of disrupted attachment following a birth with adverse experiences and understand the long-term implications for infant mental health and development.

3. Apply evidence informed strategies to support parents and caregivers in fostering secure attachment and resilience in the early postpartum period.

This training is an introduction to the AIMHiTN Emergency Response Toolkit. The toolkit is designed to support professionals in their understanding of the connection between social emotional impact of disasters and the development of children and healthy family units. While also providing early relational techniques for helping caregivers create comprehensive emergency response plans, the training will provide guidance on how to utilize the toolkit to work with families on preparing, responding, and recovering from emergency events. This includes natural disasters, but also tools for responding to crisis, as emergencies occur in all shapes and sizes.