Early childhood education and care
Welcome to the Early childhood education and care learning pathway. This pathway is designed for all early childhood educators who want to better understand the factors that influence child mental health, it’s impact on children’s development and how to promote this with parents and caregivers.
This learning pathway examines the multifaceted nature of children’s mental health and development, how it occurs within multiple contexts, including the child’s own individual characteristics, emotional world, family, relationships, institutions, neighbourhood and community and how important this is in considering ‘the whole child’. It also explores the impacts of trauma and adversity, intergenerational disadvantage, and the parent-child relationship on children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
Taking a prevention and early intervention approach, the Early childhood education and care learning pathway will help educators recognise trauma and how mental health difficulties can present in children, while building their skills in engaging parents and caregivers on how to support their child’s development and build positive mental health.
Learning outcomes
As you progress through this learning pathway you will build your understanding and skills across a range of key areas, including:
- Describing how mental health difficulties can present in children, and that this is different to how adult mental health difficulties present.
- Recognising the history and context of parents' and children's problems alongside their strengths, resilience and know-how.
- Helping parents understand the historical factors that influence their parenting, both positively and negatively.
- Recognising child responses to trauma, and explaining the potential impact of trauma and adversity on children including pathways for recovery.
- Centering the child in discussions with parents and caregivers to provide a foundation for responding to concerns about the effects of ‘adult problems’ on children’s mental health and wellbeing.
- Understanding the worries, concerns and aspirations that families have regarding their children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
- Exploring entry points and opportunities to have respectful and collaborative conversations with parents and caregivers, with the aim of supporting them to promote positive social and emotional wellbeing for their young child.
- Ensuring that information and resources provided to parents are relevant, of a high quality, and appropriate to the parents or caregivers’ situation and concerns.