Fostering Early Childhood Mental Health: A Timely Talk with Eminent Researcher, Dr. Walter Gilliam

“I look at data for a living, but rarely do I ever do statistical
analysis and look at the data and want to cry over it,” Yale
University’s eminent child psychiatrist Dr. Walter Gilliam told
Michigan’s Children’s Matt Gillard on the latest episode of
Speaking for Kids. Addressing recent findings that underscore the
incredible level of stress that early childhood caregivers are
living with – 56% were screened for diagnosable levels of
depression in a recent pandemic-related study – Gilliam and
Gillard discuss Michigan’s experience with the state’s infant
early childhood mental health consultation program and the
significant positive impact it has on our youngest children and
their adult caregivers. Once at the forefront of the
social-emotional development field, Michigan failed to adequately
invest in this particular mental health program, unlike states
such as Ohio to the south. Today, Michigan’s Children and
advocates are making a strong push to expand infant early
childhood mental health services by seeking a $6.8 million
investment that would help bring consultation services to
beleaguered child care providers across the state.