News

The family separation policy has separated at least 2,300 undocumented immigrant children from their parents and placed them in governmental care in shelters and foster homes across the United States. Early childhood clinicians and researchers at the University of Michigan and the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health have developed two resources to help those caring for recently separated immigrant children. 

The first is a letter that presents the idea of SAFE Communication to assist alternative caregivers to help the children begin to make sense of what has happened to them and offers strategies to increase the children’s sense of safety and protection. The second is a children’s story – Cecilia and the Long Walk - to help children understand their recent experience, providing language to help organize internal confusion and terror. The story is presented as a coloring book, with version available in both English and Spanish. An audio recording of Cecilia and the Long Walk (Cecilia y la Larga Caminata) is also available on YouTube so that children can listen to the story being read in their native language.

See this announcement for more information and to access the resources. 

The Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health and Rhode Island Association for Infant Mental Health leadership firmly oppose separating very young immigrant children from their parents or guardians. Read the full position statement from the Alliance on separating families here, and a statement by Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child Director Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., here. 

Check out this article in The Hill written by Katherine Rosenblum and Tova Walsh about what we can learn from our nation's military families about the separations of parents and children.

“The secure attachments young children form to their caregivers are the bedrock of healthy development and emotional stability, providing a sense of security and a buffer from the toxic effects of stress and trauma. 

Migrating to a new country is already stressful. Separating children and caregivers destroys the relationships that foster resilience. Make no mistake; separation at this point is a trauma that can have long-term impacts on an infant’s well-being. Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders can follow. 

The practice of having border agents remove children from caregivers suddenly and place them in institutional care, especially without any policy for visitation, maintenance of their attachment relationship, or reunification, amounts to child maltreatment. 

Anyone with infant/early childhood mental health expertise – and anyone with a heart for children – will tell you that separating young children from caregivers at the U.S. border is appalling and must be stopped.”

View the statement on the ZERO TO THREE website or learn more about the current U.S. border practices and the historical context of government family separation policies.

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, in partnership with ZERO TO THREE, is organizing a major advocacy event to bring approximately 40 Rhode Island families with babies and toddlers to the State House. Strolling Thunder Rhode Island will take place on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Learn more.

Strolling Thunder is the flagship advocacy event of Think Babies, a national campaign designed to bring attention to the many issues that affect what babies and families need to thrive. This year the focus is on high-quality child care for infants and toddlers!

In February 2018, Healthy Families America (HFA) and the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health (Alliance) joined together in working to promote better outcomes for babies and their families by building a competent workforce. Read the full article here.

The Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health has joined the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in firmly opposing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposal reported in the media that would separate immigrant mothers from their children when they arrive at the U.S. border. Read the full statement.

The Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health has published a white paper on the opioid epidemic, titled "What About the Baby? Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Workforce Development as a Part of the Solution to the Opioid and Substance Use Disorder Crises."  Read the full paper here.

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is partnering with Zero to Three's Think Babies™ Campaign to help advance policies that ensure babies and families have what they need to thrive: quality, affordable child care; time for parents to bond with their babies; healthy emotional development; and strong physical health and nutrition. Learn more!

Two new reports from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) document impacts of the current immigration context on our nation’s youngest children. On this webinar, the report authors will discuss the study findings, including impacts on young children, their parents, and early childhood educators, and recommendations for stakeholders at all levels to safeguard the wellbeing of children in immigrant families. Learn more and register.