Purpose of IT³ within ECMH Consultations

Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Consultations are intended to support parents and caregivers in developing an increased awareness and understanding of the impact of their interactions on a child's social-emotional well-being. The goal is to increase nurturing caregiving practices. This resource is designed to support your work as an ECMH consultant. Use this information with parents and caregivers as an intentional and structured professional development opportunity. Specifically, IT³ can help ECMH consultants to:

• Assist parents and caregivers in recognizing and exploring their own temperament traits
• Support adults in identifying and reflecting upon the temperament traits of the infants and toddlers they care for
• Help parents and caregivers understand how similarities and differences in adult-child temperament traits may affect "goodness of fit"
• Give adults an array of simple strategies they can use to best support the unique temperament of each child in their care

Audience

ECMH consultants can use this resource with parents and caregivers of children birth through 3 years of age.

The term "parent" refers to any adult who is the primary caregiver for an infant or toddler and provides ongoing support for the child in his or her home environment. "Parent" may refer to biological or adoptive parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, foster parents, or any other steady presence in the child's home life.

The term "caregiver" refers to any adult that provides ongoing care for a child outside of the home, such as a teacher, child care provider, or day care aide. A caregiver also may offer support to families within the home setting as a home visitor.

The term "young children" in this resource refers to infants and toddlers birth through age 3.

Last Updated: June 3, 2024