Early Childhood Mental Health VA

06/19/2026

Tips on Teaching Toddlers to Calm Down
Life with toddlers can be a rewarding yet challenging experience, particularly when it comes to managing their emotions and behaviors. One important aspect of this developmental phase is self-soothing, which refers to the ability of toddlers to calm themselves down during moments of distress or frustration. Self-soothing behaviors can manifest in various ways, including thumb-sucking, hugging a favorite toy, or engaging in repetitive motions. Learn why they are important and how to teach them to toddlers

Spread the loveIntroduction: Understanding Toddler Self-Soothing Parenting toddlers can be a rewarding yet challenging experience, particularly when it comes to managing their emotions and behaviors. One important aspect of this developmental phase is self-soothing, which refers to the ability of to...

06/16/2026

We’re excited to help share a new resource launching in the Richmond region — *Just Ask: Parent & Provider Resource Line*
Beginning June 8th, families and early childhood professionals can connect with compassionate specialists for support around child development, behavior, social-emotional needs, referrals, and more.
📞 804-628-5124
📧 [email protected]
🌐 justask.partnership.vcu.edu
Serving Richmond City, Henrico, Chesterfield, & Petersburg.

06/10/2026

Show and Tell: Pairing Language with Visual Cue Cards to Support Meaningful Early STEM Experiences
What if one small shift could spark bigger thinking in your littlest learners? Check out this post to discover how and when you can use visual cues to transform the way young children engage and experience STEM: Show and Tell: Pairing Language with Visual Cue Cards to Support Meaningful Early STEM Experiences – STEMIE Want more fabulous and free ideas for supporting STEM learning and development in young children? Subscribe to our Newsletter – STEMIE

By Chih-Ing Lim / April 20, 2026 LnRiLWZpZWxke21hcmdpbi1ib3R0b206MC43NmVtfS50Yi1maWVsZC0tbGVmdHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOmxlZnR9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1jZW50ZXJ7dGV4dC1hbGlnbjpjZW50ZXJ9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1yaWdodHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOnJpZ2h0fS50Yi1maWVsZF9fc2t5cGVfcHJldmlld3twYWRkaW5nOjEwcHggMjBweDtib3JkZXItcmFkaXVzOjNweDtjb2xvcjo...

06/09/2026

Early Intervention May Improve Academic Outcomes by 3rd Grade for Children with Developmental Disabilities
Children who received Early Intervention services before age 3 were more likely to meet third-grade academic standards in math and English language arts, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the New York City Health Department. Learn more at

Children who received Early Intervention (EI) services before age 3 were more likely to meet third-grade academic standards in math and English language arts (ELA), according to a study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the New York City Health Department. The...

06/05/2026

The Growing Brain equips educators and clinicians with skills to support early brain development, communication, and learning.

06/02/2026

7 Day-One Priorities That Support Infant Mental Health
The Critical Competencies for Infant–Toddler Educators offer a helpful roadmap: build warm relationships, support communication and regulation, and foster safe exploration. Enjoy this short article that highlights some of the most important considerations. Building an Early Childhood Environment with Mental Health at the Core | ZERO TO THREE https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/building-an-ece-environment-with-iecmh-at-the-core/

05/30/2026

FAMILIES, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Are you currently involved in Early Intervention services or have you been part of the journey with your little one in the past couple of years? Your experiences, ideas, challenges, and successes matter.

We are hosting an Early Intervention Family Listening Session to create a safe and welcoming space for families to share their voices, connect with others, and help shape supports and resources for families across our community.

Whether your journey has felt overwhelming, hopeful, confusing, exhausting, empowering — or all of the above — your story is important.

✨ Join us to:
• Share your experiences and needs
• Help identify gaps and barriers families face
• Connect with other families who understand the journey
• Help us create stronger family-centered supports in Early Intervention

Your voice can help make a difference for other families walking this path. Register below.

👉 https://tinyurl.com/4eaersae 👈

05/26/2026

New Look at Early Childhood Brain Development
A recent data release includes several types of behavioral and biomedical data, including information on prenatal health and pregnancy exposures, including substance use and environmental exposures; social and environmental determinants of health; infant brain imaging and EEG activity; cognitive, behavioral and physical assessments; and wearable biosensor data. Learn more at New data release offers unprecedented look at early childhood brain development | UAB News

New data release offers unprecedented look at early childhood brain development

05/19/2026

Children Growing Up with Frequent Conversation Show Stronger Language Abilities
Results from recent research showed a consistent pattern: higher screen time was associated with lower language scores, whereas greater child-adult conversational engagement was associated with higher language outcomes.
Read more at

Young children who spend more time on screen-based activities and less time talking with adults tend to have weaker language skills, according to a recent study from the University of Tartu. The findings highlight that daily interaction—rather than screen limits alone—plays a key role in early l...

05/06/2026