Background

There are currently many initiatives in play on behalf of young children -- the work of the Early Childhood Action Strategy, the Promising Minds Initiative, the Early Childhood State Plan spearheaded by the Executive Office on Early Learning, and numerous others. The plan that you have linked before you is an intentional government-non-government effort. Through the cross-sector work of the Early Childhood Action Strategy, it became apparent that there was a critical need for a plan to address the infant and early childhood behavioral health needs of our keiki 0-5. In Hawaiʻi, our system of care for young children spans across multiple departments, their internal divisions, foundations and the child and family-serving nonprofits that are contracted through those entities. 

What members of the Advisory Team began to recognize was that although all our collective work addresses the behavioral health of children 0-5 in some way, none of our efforts focus on that objective specifically. As the field of early childhood grows with rich new research on the importance of the first five years of life, it was felt that a stronger lens needed to put on behavioral health. It is not the kuleana of any one agency, but all of our kuleana, and therefore it is essential that a State plan be in place to coordinate our efforts to address gaps, avoid duplication and maximize all resources. 

The IECBH Strategic Plan proposes to integrate child and family mental health and trauma-informed care into our health and early care and education systems throughout Hawaiʻi. This integration will create an intentionally aligned child and family-serving system that promotes school readiness and family success. The plan will work towards creating equitable systems of care that reduce racial and socioeconomic disparities, ultimately ensuring that children succeed in school and in life. 

Let the work begin!

Hawaii Business Magazine:

Support Parents, Support Kids

A new cross-sector plan makes mental and behavioral health resources more accessible to families.

khon2 News: Mental health plan developed for Hawaii keiki by government agencies, nonprofits

Hawaii Public Radio: Infant Early Childhood Behavioral Health

Scroll down to Early childhood behavioral health to listen