Annual Philly SPROUT Summit

Join us for the Annual Philly SPROUT Summit - Supporting Collaboration: Learning Together About Infant Early Childhood Mental Health, a full-day training focused on Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH). This year’s event features a keynote presentation by Dr. Brenda Jones Harden, a leading expert in child and family welfare, who will provide insights on integrating IECMH principles into services that support young children and caregivers.

The day will also include a networking lunch with the Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health (PA-AMHI) to discuss IECMH Endorsement and an interdisciplinary panel on cross-sector collaboration. Designed for professionals in early childhood education, child welfare, home visiting, and related fields, this summit is an opportunity for learning, resource sharing, and strengthening partnerships across sectors. Don’t miss this chance to connect with colleagues and advance your work in supporting young children and families!

Keynote Presentation: Hearing the baby's voice: Applying infant mental health principles in services for young children and families

Dr. Jones Harden will provide an overview of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) and common language to be utilized across different sectors. She will review the principles that providers can draw from and how to integrate IECMH into their work and support parents and caregivers and their children.

About Our Keynote Speaker: Dr. Brenda Jones Harden, MSW, PhD

Dr. Brenda Jones Harden is the Ruth Harris Ottman Professor of Child and Family Welfare at the Columbia University School of Social Work and Professor Emerita of Human Development at the University of Maryland. She directs the Prevention and Early Adversity Research Laboratory, where she and her research team examine the developmental and mental health needs of young children who have experienced early adversity and toxic stress, particularly those who have been maltreated, are in foster care, or have experienced other forms of trauma. A particular focus is preventing maladaptive outcomes in these populations through early childhood programs, which she has implemented and evaluated. Dr. Jones Harden is a scientist-practitioner who uses research to improve the quality and effectiveness of child and family services and to inform child and family policy, especially in the areas of home visiting, early care and education, infant/early childhood mental health, and child welfare. She is the immediate past-President of the Board of Zero to Three, and serves on various federal, state, and local advisory boards. She received a PhD in developmental and clinical psychology from Yale University and a Master’s in Social Work from New York University.

Who should attend?

This training is for providers in the following sectors serving children 0-5 and their caregivers: early childhood education, early intervention, child welfare, home visiting, as well as organizations supporting IECMH. The training content will benefit leadership, administrative, as well as front line service providers. This is an opportunity for professional development, sharing resources, and networking across sectors, so we hope that those who attend will share this information with their organizations and continue to collaborate with the Philly SPROUT Project partners as we offer more trainings.

Learn more about the Philly SPROUT Project here.

Host or Publisher National Nurse-Led Care Consortium