National Training Sessions

Facing The Challenge: Helping Teachers Better Work with Children Challenging Behaviors Train-the-Trainer Session

DECA for Infants/Toddlers Training

DECA for Preschoolers Training

Building Your Bounce, Building Their Bounce Training

FLIP IT: Train-the-Trainer Sessions

Useful Resources

Integrating Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation with the Pyramid Model, Roxane K. Kaufmann, November 2009. 

What Works? A Study of Effective Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Programs, by Frances Duran et al., Aug 09.

 Georgetown University’s Center for Child and Human Development

 
DECA featured as a ECMH measurement tool>>

Characteristics of Effective Mental health Consultation in Early Childhood Settings:  Multilevel Analysis of a National Survey, by B. Green, M. Everhart, L. Gordon, and M. G. Gettman. Published in 2006 in Topics in Early Childhood Special Education (Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 142-152).

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation by E. Cohen and R. Kaufmann. Volume 1 of 2005 series on Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental Health and Behavioral Disorders, published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: A Developing Profession by M. Allen, E. Brennan, B. Green, K. Hepburn & R. Kaufmann. Published in 2008 edition of Focal Point, a publication of the Research and Training Center in Family Support and Children’s Mental Health, Portland State University. 

Click To View More Resources

Q & A with the DECA Trainers

As a mental health consultant I am often brought into a situation after the relationship between the teachers and the parents has been strained due to poor communication, stress and hurt feelings.  Do you have any tips I can share with teachers and administrators for how to discuss tough topics with parents before I get involved?  Answer >>

As an early childhood mental health consultant I find that I am often helping administrators deal with complaints from parents about a specific child’s behavior.  When parents want a particular child expelled, an administrator is caught between a rock and a hard place.  Do you have any tips for how I can help an administrator handle this situation? Answer >>

Mental Health Consultation With The DECA-C
by Jordana Ash, LCSW, Director, Kid Connects

Kid Connects is an early childhood mental health consultation program in Boulder, Colorado, studied in 2009 by Georgetown University’s Center for Child & Human Development as one of 6 nationwide programs that had demonstrated positive child, family, early childhood educator and/or early childhood education program outcomes.

More >>

Special Edition: Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

Letter From Our Director 

It is very exciting to have an entire DECI newsletter dedicated to the topic of Early Childhood Mental Health. Having worked in the early childhood field for more than 40 years, I see this as tremendous progress for the field. Full Story >>

What Is Early childhood mental Health?

As attention to early childhood mental health has increased, some people question the use of the term “mental health” in connection with young children, given the stigma still associated with mental illness.

Full Story >>

May 6th  is children's early childhood mental healthawareness day

National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is Thursday, May 6, 2010. This year the emphasis is on the social and emotional development of children from birth through age eight.

Full Story>>

What's New At DECI?

 New Spanish Resilience Resources

Kaplan and Devereux are excited to announce the availability of the following resources in Spanish.

(1)   Infant and Toddler Record forms
(2)   Un Mundo – Songs of Resilience Music and Manual

Resources available through Kaplan Early Learning Co. (800) 334-2014 or www.kaplanco.com

National Head Start Annual Conference:  “DECA User’s Reunion”

Several members of the DECI team will be in Dallas on May 3-8, 2010 for the annual Head Start conference.  If you will also be in Dallas and would like to join us for a get together, please email deca@devereux.org and we will share more specifics about an opportunity to meet up at the event! 

Revising the Preschool DECA Kit: Focus Group Opportunities

The DECI team is beginning the revision process for the Preschool DECA Kit and we would love your input.  DECA User Feedback Focus Groups are being organized to take place at the National Head Start Association Conference in Dallas, May 3-8, 2010, and at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Development Conference in Phoenix, June 6-9, 2010.  Please email deca@devereux.org if you would like to learn more about these focus group opportunities.  

Recorded Webinars: DECA-Infant/Toddler & Devereux Student Strengths Assessment

To learn more about either the DECA for Infants and Toddlers (DECA-I/T) or the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA), please visit our website at www.devereuxearlychildhood.org to watch two new recorded Webinars, featuring the primary authors of the instruments.  Mary Mackrain provides a wonderful overview of the DECA-I/T assessment and accompanying strategy resources.  Paul LeBuffe shares how the DESSA can be used to support school-age chidren.  Stay tuned for additional webinars in 2010.    

2010 Professional Development Calendar for DECI Training Events

The 2010 DECI Professional Development calendar is available on our website.  If you have any questions about these events or if you are interested in scheduling a training for your community, email: Dmahler@devereux.org 

New DECA Research Study:  Psychometric Properties of the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment in a Head Start Sample

Recently, John S. Carlson and My T. Lien conducted this research study involving over 1200 children in Michigan.  Overall, the psychometric properties of the DECA for this Head Start sample provide additional support for its inclusion within the mental health services provided to Head Start populations.  Read the full study in the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, Vol. 27, No. 5, 386-396 (2009).     

Devereux Center for Resilient Children- Hiring!!!

Devereux Center for Resilient Children is hiring a Research Assistant.  For more information please contact deca@devereux.org and title your email “Job Inquiry”.  

Deci Pre-Service and in-service professional development options

Starting to think about professional development planning for pre-service in the fall?  A DECI Certified Trainer can travel to your community and offer a wide variety of trainings that can excite, inspire, and educate staff in an effort to start the year off right.  Some of these training opportunities include: Full Story>>

SpotLight on  Training: Building YOUR Bounce So That You Can Build THEIR Bounce

Building Your Bounce So That You Can Build Their Bounce!

According to a recent report published by the American Psychological Association (2007):

• One-third of Americans are living with extreme stress and nearly half of Americans believe that their stress has increased over the past five years.

          Full Story >>

Recent research on brain and social/emotional development has shown that there is no better time for early intervention and prevention efforts than during the first few years of life (Shonkoff and Phillips, 2000).  

Full Story >>

LPM News

Congratulations to our newest Devereux Recognized Local Program Mentors!
Sue Bernt, LICSW, Gladstone, Oregon
Angie Moore, LCMFT, RPT, Wichita, KS 

Exclusive LPM Resources:
Log on to the LPM section of the DECI website www.devereuxearlychildhood.org for exclusive LPM goodies!

With questions about how to become an LPM please contact lpmhelp@devereux.org

This edition and past newsletters available for download from http://www.devereux.org