FAIMH: Florida Association for Infant Mental Health

Message from the FAIMH President

From the President's Desk
October 2008

Welcome to the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health Web Site!

It is a privilege for me to serve as President of FAIMH this year, and I look forward to working with all of our members to move forward a policy agenda for infant and early childhood mental health in Florida. I applaud our past presidents, Dr. Wil Blechman and Dr. Mimi Graham for their passion, commitment, and tireless efforts to improve the quality of life for our smallest and most vulnerable citizens.

The news for infants and young children living in Florida is not good. In a first-ever state-by-state health system "scorecard" on children's health care, Florida ranked 50th. Only Oklahoma fared worse in the state-by-state comparison that found a wide disparity in the care children receive nationwide. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were included. The analysis used 13 indicators of child health, such as infant-mortality rates and access to specialty care, from a variety of government-supplied data. Indicators fall into five categories: access to health care, quality, costs, equity and factors contributing to healthy lives. The full report is available at commonwealthfund.org.

We now have substantial research that concludes that the wisest economic investment we can make is in early childhood development. A good deal of that prior research was conducted by Nobel Laureate James Heckman, professor of economics at the University of Chicago and member of the ECRC National Advisory Committee. "His research," said Minneapolis Fed President Gary Stern in a recent address, "was the foundation for the work produced at this Bank and by the University, and has influenced every serious economic and policy research project on this issue, which means he has also had a vicarious hand in many of the policy reforms taking place across the country." Stern then quoted other Fed presidents on the value of early childhood education, ending with the following statement from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke:

"Although education and the acquisition of skills is a lifelong process, starting early in life is crucial. Recent research—some sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in collaboration with the University of Minnesota—has documented the high returns that early childhood programs can pay in terms of subsequent educational attainment and in lower rates of social problems, such as teenage pregnancy and welfare dependency. The most successful early childhood programs appear to be those that cultivate both cognitive and noncognitive skills and that engage families in stimulating learning at home."

In addition, a profound document was published in January, 2007 by the National Scientific Council, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University titled The Science of Early Childhood Development: Closing the Gap between What We Know and What We Do. What follows is a brief description from the Executive Summary describing the paper and its intent. The full document is available at www.developingchild.net.

"It is our hope and belief that better public understanding of the rapidly growing science of early childhood and early brain development can provide a powerful impetus for the design and implementation of policies and programs that could make a significant difference in the lives of all children. Without that understanding, investments that could generate significant returns for all of society stand the risk of being rejected or undermined. Thus, there is a compelling need for scientists to share with the public and its representatives an objective basis for choosing wisely among competing demands on limited resources. This paper is designed to provide a framework within which this complex challenge can be addressed most effectively. Its goal is to promote an understanding of the basic science of early childhood development, including its underlying neurobiology, to inform both public and private sector investment in young children and their families."

What a worthy and timely goal. All Floridians, from babies to seniors, must join in this goal if we are going to have a healthy and prosperous state, where all citizens are productive and contributing members of our communities. We can no longer afford to rank 50th in the nation in overall child well-being. And so I ask all of us, what will we now do with what we know?

Sincerely,
Kathryn Shea, LCSW
President


		Home Newsletters Board of Directors Local Chapters Downloads & Resources Membership CPEIP Home President's Note Annual Conference	Message from the FAIMH President From the President's Desk October 2008 Welcome to the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health Web Site! It is a privilege for me to serve as President of FAIMH this year, and I look forward to working with all of our members to move forward a policy agenda for infant and early childhood mental health in Florida. I applaud our past presidents, Dr. Wil Blechman and Dr. Mimi Graham for their passion, commitment, and tireless efforts to improve the quality of life for our smallest and most vulnerable citizens. The news for infants and young children living in Florida is not good. In a first-ever state-by-state health system "scorecard" on children's health care, Florida ranked 50th. Only Oklahoma fared worse in the state-by-state comparison that found a wide disparity in the care children receive nationwide. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were included. The analysis used 13 indicators of child health, such as infant-mortality rates and access to specialty care, from a variety of government-supplied data. Indicators fall into five categories: access to health care, quality, costs, equity and factors contributing to healthy lives. The full report is available at commonwealthfund.org. We now have substantial research that concludes that the wisest economic investment we can make is in early childhood development. A good deal of that prior research was conducted by Nobel Laureate James Heckman, professor of economics at the University of Chicago and member of the ECRC National Advisory Committee. "His research," said Minneapolis Fed President Gary Stern in a recent address, "was the foundation for the work produced at this Bank and by the University, and has influenced every serious economic and policy research project on this issue, which means he has also had a vicarious hand in many of the policy reforms taking place across the country." Stern then quoted other Fed presidents on the value of early childhood education, ending with the following statement from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke: "Although education and the acquisition of skills is a lifelong process, starting early in life is crucial. Recent research—some sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in collaboration with the University of Minnesota—has documented the high returns that early childhood programs can pay in terms of subsequent educational attainment and in lower rates of social problems, such as teenage pregnancy and welfare dependency. The most successful early childhood programs appear to be those that cultivate both cognitive and noncognitive skills and that engage families in stimulating learning at home." In addition, a profound document was published in January, 2007 by the National Scientific Council, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University titled *The Science of Early Childhood Development: Closing the Gap between What We Know and What We Do.* What follows is a brief description from the Executive Summary describing the paper and its intent. The full document is available at www.developingchild.net. "It is our hope and belief that better public understanding of the rapidly growing science of early childhood and early brain development can provide a powerful impetus for the design and implementation of policies and programs that could make a significant difference in the lives of all children. Without that understanding, investments that could generate significant returns for all of society stand the risk of being rejected or undermined. Thus, there is a compelling need for scientists to share with the public and its representatives an objective basis for choosing wisely among competing demands on limited resources. This paper is designed to provide a framework within which this complex challenge can be addressed most effectively. Its goal is to promote an understanding of the basic science of early childhood development, including its underlying neurobiology, to inform both public and private sector investment in young children and their families." What a worthy and timely goal. All Floridians, from babies to seniors, must join in this goal if we are going to have a healthy and prosperous state, where all citizens are productive and contributing members of our communities. We can no longer afford to rank 50th in the nation in overall child well-being. And so I ask all of us, what will we now do with what we know? Sincerely, Kathryn Shea, LCSW President