This article reviews the importance of school based mental health services to the development of children. Citing the work of the Childrens Aid Society, the author notes that education does not take place in isolation and that the most effective school reforms combine educational excellence with needed human services, delivered through school,…

Notes that mental health services have been a weak link in Head Start. Addresses the need to enhance mental health services by describing a successful, innovative university-Head Start partnership. Describes the model and provides advice for Head Start programs to expand and enhance their mental health services. (SD)

In response to (a) an increasing need to support children with emotional and behavioral challenges in childcare settings and (b) the high rates of expulsion among preschool children, mental health consultation in early childhood settings is becoming an increasingly popular intervention strategy. At the same time, there is little agreement or…

School absenteeism and school refusal behavior are particularly difficult problems that school health professionals often face. Unfortunately, few recommendations are available to such professionals about how to address this population. In this article, we (1) outline the major characteristics of school absenteeism and school refusal behavior, (2)…

Comments on three articles (see records EJ733583, EJ733584, and EJ733585) on the status of children's mental health services in the United States, which appeared in the September 2005 issue of the "American Psychologist." The current authors suggest that, although this series of articles provides important information, the articles fall…

School Health Advisory Councils (SHAC) can assist schools in carrying out their responsibilities for promoting and protecting the health of students and employees. An active SHAC can be an excellent mechanism for parent and community involvement in the schools, and the SHAC provides a way for the schools to utilize valuable professional resources…

The state of Connecticut initiated a statewide program of systematic needs assessment for children's mental health services in 1986-1987. A stratified random sample of children ages 6 to 11 was drawn from registration lists of all public, private, and parochial schools. Of 79 schools, 56 were sampled, and 54 agreed to participate in the survey.…

This report focuses on the more than 7 million American children who suffer from mental disorders. It was written in response to a Congressional request for development of a national plan delineating how the National Institute for Mental Health would expand basic, clinical, and services research in the area of child mental health, and also…

This article highlights the untended mental health needs of children across the United States. Citing troubling mental health statistics, the author suggests creating a community culture that does not stigmatize or ignore mental health problems, specifically by making prevention and treatment the rule. One of the potential stumbling blocks…

This article talks about a conference organised by the National Children's Bureau (NCB) Northern Ireland, which brought together a number of experts in young people's emotional health. The event reflected the growing interest in young people's emotional well-being and delegates attended from across Northern Ireland and the Republic. The NCB is a…

Well-designed and effectively implemented school health policies and programs can improve students' health-related behaviors and outcomes, as well as their educational outcomes. Health promotion programs in the school setting are guided and constrained by myriad federal, state, and local laws and policies. Knowledge and understanding of the legal…

During the past three decades, there has been an increase in knowledge about early childhood development. Early experiences can function as either risk factors or protective factors for a child's future health and development. This has led to concern about how current health systems contribute to the quality of the earliest experiences of life.…

Key leaders working for international, bilateral, and private organizations presented oral testimony and written statements on how developing countries can be assisted in coping with the AIDS crisis. Michael Merson of the World Health Organization, Richard Bissell of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Milton Amayun…

This manual was designed for Catholic Relief Services staff who want to improve the health and nutrition component of maternal and child health programs. The methodology presented had already been used in two country programs in Africa, and the experiences in those program evaluations made this guide to participatory evaluation useful for other…

This policy brief describes the State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (SECCS) Initiative, a policy designed to improve early childhood programs to ensure that all children arrive at school healthy and ready to learn. The SECCS is intended to help states build a bridge from birth to school and addresses how states will support children and…