When we think about the phrase “mental health”, we don’t typically think about infants and very young children. Mental health, however, is a concept that applies to everyone. Mental health refers to the way we think, feel, relate to others, manage our emotions, make decisions, and view ourselves. Mental health problems in adolescence and adulthood can sometimes be connected to poor relationships and adversity experienced in childhood. By investing in the wellbeing of young children, we can prevent some mental health disorders from ever developing.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services is currently implementing a five-year federal grant called Project LAUNCH. The purpose of this initiative is to support young children’s healthy mental development by focusing on strategies that foster safe, stable and nurturing relationships and positive experiences for children, prenatal through age eight.

As a healthcare provider, you are in a unique position to support young children’s healthy mental development. Parents trust you to provide their family with the highest quality of care. They view you as a credible resource for important health information. This annual conference event, provided through Iowa’s Project LAUNCH initiative, was designed to support you, as a healthcare professional, with information relevant to early childhood mental health, including local resources and cutting-edge research. We hope that the information provided in this video series will be useful as you continue to promote the health and wellbeing of Iowa’s youngest children.

Registration

Registration for Project LAUNCH will open on August 7 and close on August 25. All attendees will need to register to access the training videos and to be eligible to obtain a CE credit/participation certificate. After August 25, attendees will not have access to the registration, presentations, training videos, or evaluations. Attendees must register and complete the sessions between August 7 – August 25, 2023.