Welcome to 1st Five
The foundations of mental health are set in the first five years of life.
During these years, children rapidly develop social and emotional capacities that prepare them to be self-confident, trusting, empathetic, intellectually inquisitive, competent in using language to communicate and capable of relating well to others. These emotional skills form the foundation of a child's "healthy mental development" - to develop the ability to regulate and express emotions, form close personal relationships with other children and adults, and explore and learn from their environment. This social-emotional foundation also plays a key role in determining a child's school readiness.
Iowa's 1st Five Healthy Mental Development Initiative builds partnerships between physician practices and public service providers to enhance high quality well-child care. 1st Five promotes the use of developmental tools that support healthy mental development for young children during the first five years. By using a tool for all children that includes social-emotional development and family risk factors, providers are able to identify children at risk for developmental concerns that, if left untreated, would play out later in life.
"Virginia" gained custody of her six grandchildren after they were removed from the care of a drug-addicted parent. The children, ranging in age from 19 days to eight years, were moved to Virginia's home where she also cared for her mother and uncle.
The children suffered from a variety of behavioral and mental health issues that required extra attention. During one of the children's well-child exams, the pediatrician assessed her grandchildren's social-emotional development and asked if Virginia had been experiencing any potential depression and family stress in her new caregiver role. This opened the door for Virginia to share her feelings of stress and anxiety, and of often feeling down.
The pediatrician referred Virginia to the local 1st Five care coordinator for her depression and stress. The care coordinator arranged to meet with her and together they identified a variety of concerns underlying her stress and depression. The care coordinator linked Virginia to sixteen community-based resources to begin addressing these concerns, ranging from Early ACCESS and WIC, to Section 8 housing, a local food pantry, an Early Childhood Iowa-funded home visiting program, and an outpatient counseling program for both her and her grandchildren. Thanks to the pediatrician who asked the questions about stress and depression, and to the 1st Five care coordinator who linked her to community-based resources, Virginia and her grandchildren now have numerous supports in place and a better chance for success.
