Early Childhood and Family Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Supplement to the 2020 How Are Vermont's Young Children and Families? Report
Early childhood and family mental health is the foundation of all future child development. Children’s mental health during public health emergencies can have both short- and long-term consequences to their overall health and wellbeing. This includes the capacity to experience, regulate and express emotion, form close, secure relationships, and to explore the environment and learn. Optimal family mental health with stable and responsive relationships builds a strong foundation allows children to develop the resilience to ensure that stress is tolerable rather than toxic and to grow into well-rounded, healthy adults.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted more than ever the need for increasing mental health resources and supports. New and exacerbated sources of stress including concerns about health, combined with uncertainty over unemployment and finances, work, school, child care, and access to food and other resources are all contributing to increased stress among parents and caregivers.
The How Are Vermont’s Young Children and Families? Report is a brief snapshot of data. There is always more context and data that we wish we could include. To that end, in collaboration with The Department of Mental Health, we are pleased to present The Early Childhood and Family Mental Health Supplement to the 2020 How Are Vermont’s Young Children and Families? Report.
This supplement includes additional data on school based mental health services, as well as three promising practices and policy recommendations.