Impact & Results

Impact of Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health’s Recent Initiatives

As a nonprofit organization and leader in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health (MI-AIMH) leverages collective expertise, resources, and networks to create a more comprehensive and integrated approach to promote the social-emotional well-being and early relational health of Michigan’s infants and young children.   Some illustrative collaborations include:

• NEW Evaluation Data on the impact of MI-AIMH professional development on Infant and Early Childhood Promotion and Prevention Professionals! Click HERE to learn more!
  
  
• MI-AIMH actively engages with various organizations and workgroups that share similar missions, to partner and support the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) workforce through inclusive and accessible professional development efforts.
  • MI-AIMH’s provides high-quality professional development that promotes early relational health to all professionals supporting Birth to Six population across Michigan. In 2021 and 2022, MI-AIMH hosted 170 days of virtual training to professionals across the state. 
  • MI-AIMH has a listserv of 4000 infant and early childhood professionals and distributed 7,069 Training Attendance Certificates to Michigan infant and early childhood professionals in 2021 and 2022.  It is estimated that the early childhood professionals supported by at least one MI-AIMH program in 2021 and 2022, collectively offer relationship-focused services to an estimated 50,000 children annually throughout Michigan. We invite you to read an impact story HERE.
• MI-AIMH works closely with state agencies, such as the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Great Start, MiRegistry and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). These collaborations aim to align efforts and policies related to early childhood mental health services. Examples of these collaborations include:
  • Regular meetings with the Governor’s office to engage in discussions and collaborations with policymakers to advocate for the importance of early relational health and support for the IECMH workforce
  • Participation in the MDHHS Home Visiting Advisory Group: Contributing to discussions and decision-making related to home visiting programs’ effectiveness and impact on families.
  • A key partner over the last three years, has been the Office of Great Start who has contracted with MI-AIMH to utilize PDG funding to support Infant and Early Childhood Educators with professional development support and resources. Through this initiative, MI-AIMH has been able to offer free Infant Family Associate Endorsement Slots, is digitizing the Competency Guidelines® (Standards for Professionals), and will be releasing new On-Demand Trainings and Reflective Supervision Recordings by September 29, 2023 on MI-AIMH’s new Learning Management Platform “MI-AIMH Relate.”
• MI-AIMH partners with advocacy organizations to contribute to the development of a state IECMH Policy/Advocacy plan, including professional development strategies and advocacy for the needs and rights of vulnerable young children and their families. These Early Childhood Advocacy Groups: include Metro Detroit Fatherhood Policy Initiative, Think Babies Michigan, Michigan’s Children, the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC), Michigan League for Public Policy, Michigan Public Health Institute, and the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children (MiAEYC).
  • MI-AIMH is an active Board Member for the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health (MCMCH) Executive Committee: Participating in this executive committee to contribute expertise and perspectives on infant and early childhood mental health.
  • MI-AIMH’s annual advocacy week “Celebrate Babies Week” in September garnered support from Governor Whitmer and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, receiving official proclamation from the State of Michigan for three consecutive years.
• MI-AIMH works with various nonprofit organizations and committees that focus on child and family well-being, trauma-informed care, and support for vulnerable populations. Such as the MI ACE Initiative Steering Committee: Collaborating with this committee to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and promote trauma-informed care. 
• MI-AIMH partners with Michigan Public Health Institute home visiting programs, like Healthy Families America and , to provide support, training and reflective supervision for home visitors in promoting infant mental health.
• Collaborating with health systems and hospitals allows for early identification and intervention for children at risk for mental health challenges and provides support to families during the perinatal and postnatal periods.
• MI-AIMH works closely with the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health (Alliance) as the copyright holder of MI-AIMH’s Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive Relationship-Practice Promoting Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health® (IECMH-E®) to ensure standards evolve in response to the changing needs of the field. The Alliance licenses the use of the MI-AIMH Endorsement to over 35 states and 2 countries. Learn more here.
  • Through Alliance meetings and events, MI-AIMH regularly engages with state and national IECMH system leaders facilitate the sharing of best practices, addressing field challenges, addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) barriers and setting culturally responsive professional development standards. 
• Engage with community-based initiatives, helping extend the reach of IECMH awareness and advocacy of families in underserved areas. Examples of these collaborations include involvement on the workgroups for Crisis to Connection (The Children’s Center, Detroit) as we work to develop a comprehensive plan that addresses implicit bias and systemic racism that impacts the life trajectory of Black boys and Collaborated with Brilliant Detroit on a grant from the Flinn Foundation to distribute $5,000 of Social Emotional Prenatal to Six Developmental Wheels to families across Detroit. 
• Partnering with universities and research institutions fosters evidence-based practices and informs the development of innovative strategies to support the IECMH workforce. Examples of this collaboration include: 
  • Actively contribute on the Landscape of Infant Mental Health in Michigan Workgroup: Being actively involved in this initiative to assess and understand the current state of infant mental health workforce needs in Michigan. 
  • Collaborate with Wayne State’s Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute to offer Explorations in Development training annually.
  • In collaboration with university faculty, MI-AIMH developed a 10 day Core Curriculum Series that supports home visitors in address social emotional development and early relational health. This series has been offered across the United States by homevisiting programs including Wayne RESA Early On which has offered three cohorts of this series to their staff since 2020! 
• MI-AIMH presents at multiple conferences, programs, and events annually, highlighting Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and addressing Michigan’s Early Childhood Workforce Crisis. Please reach out to request a presentation!