Building Early Childhood Mental Health Systems:
Financing, Workforce Development, and Service Delivery

The Herr Research Center for Children and Social Policy at Erikson Institute hosted a daylong conference on systems building in early childhood mental health (ECMH) on Oct. 24. U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Illinois, pictured at left) opened the conference with a brief talk on the importance of creating and sustaining programs that support healthy childhood development.

Participants discussed important issues of financing, workforce development, and delivering services to children and families. They learned about recent Herr Research Center projects that evaluated mental health consultation in Illinois and studied early childhood mental health policies in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Participants included state and local senior program administrators, researchers, and leading child advocates from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan.

Sessions
(Some presentations available in PowerPoint format)

ECMH overview: national landscape, funding issues
• Terese Ahlers, Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health
• Jennifer May, National Academy for State Health Policy

Recent research and practice at Erikson and the Herr Research Center
• ECMH policies in the Great Lakes region: Eboni Howard
• Issues in workforce development and system building: Jon Korfmacher
• Consultation model: Samantha Wulfsohn

Small workgroup sessions on special topics
• Funding: Eboni Howard, moderator
• Workforce development : Jon Korfmacher, moderator
• Service delivery: Karen Freel, moderator

Next steps and open discussion
led by Great Lakes regional panel
• Gaylord Gieseke, Illinois
• Therese Ahlers, Wisconsin
• Mary Mackrain, Michigan