The Early Childhood Mental Health Program strives to build awareness of the importance of early childhood mental health through promotion, prevention, and intervention strategies. Our work helps families thrive through pediatric behavioral healthcare, family supports, and community outreach and training.
Our mission is to encourage healthy, happy childhoods by:
- Supporting healthy social and emotional development in young children;
- Helping parents, teachers and doctors address children’s challenging behaviors through collaborative training and technical assistance;
- Building a coordinated system of community-based services and supports to promote social and emotional health among young children and families in Boston;
- Helping families manage stress;
- Building strong relationships between families and doctors;
- Reinforcing existing systems and supporting the addition of new partners and mechanisms to build a coordinated, family-driven early childhood system of care for Boston families.
The Early Childhood Mental Health Program operates two community-based services. MYCHILD and Project LAUNCH provide direct service and support to families who are worried about their young child’s behaviors, feelings, or relationships with others. If you want to learn how MYCHILD Project LAUNCH can help you build the healthiest possible future for your baby or child, talk to your pediatrician at a community site or you can visit our new site at ECMHMatters.org. Project LAUNCH community sites include: Boston Medical Center Pediatrics, Codman Square Health Center, and Martha Eliot Health Center. MYCHILD community sites include: Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Bowdoin Street Health Center, and Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center.
Project LAUNCH and MYCHILD are programs of the Boston Public Health Commission in collaboration with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, funded through grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.