Thanks to a new grant, children and families entering any of the five early education centers in the Kansas City area will have access to mental and behavioral health services.
Cornerstones of Care, a behavioral and mental health nonprofit dedicated to partnering with children and families to build safe and healthy communities, has been chosen to participate in a project supported by an $8 million grant over three years. The project aims to provide mental and behavioral health services to children, their parents and caregivers at five early education centers on both sides of the state line in metropolitan Kansas City. Early Childhood Program staff will be trained to identify factors that support or hinder healthy brain development in infants and young children and recognize when intervention from parents or service providers is needed.
According to the National Library of Medicine, children who experience trauma without a supportive and trauma-informed relationship in place may experience stress, contributing to disparities in educational outcomes and health. Childhood trauma can impair neurodevelopment and functioning (brain, nervous system, endocrine system), social and emotional skills, behavior, and executive functioning. To mitigate these harmful effects, a collaborative approach between family, Early Childhood Education centers and health providers is essential (Sun et al., 2024).
The three-year grant, supported by the Hall Family Foundation’s Anchors of Tomorrow Fund, is a testament to the increasing recognition of the importance of mental health in early childhood development. Cornerstones of Care President and CEO Merideth Rose emphasizes in a post on Cornerstones of Care’s website, “This work leans into our focus on prevention and providing trauma-informed care before things become overwhelming.” The grant allows Cornerstones of Care to provide much-needed assessment, case management, counseling and training services, making a significant difference in young children’s and their families’ lives.
What makes this initiative unique is the strong collaboration among early education centers, and public, private and non-profit partners. “This is exactly the work Cornerstones of Care wants to do to support children and families and to build a healthier community in metropolitan Kansas City,” Merideth Rose said in a post on Cornerstones of Care’s website. Cornerstones of Care fosters a collective approach to tackling mental health issues in early childhood settings by partnering with University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and MidAmerica Nazarene University.
Cornerstones of Care will partner with UMKC to provide interns, apprentices, technical assistance, coaching, evaluation and endorsements from the UMKC Institute for Human Development. Additionally, MidAmerica Nazarene University will collaborate with Cornerstones of Care to train a group of mental health care providers in play therapy and offer the necessary supervision and certification for Registered Play Therapists. MidAmerica University will also develop a training program for bachelor’s-level mental health care providers to grow in their careers.
Blog written by Brianna Bowman
