Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (I-ECMH) remains a critical but often overlooked policy challenge. In 2011, the ZERO TO THREE Policy Center identified and interviewed key informants at the state and national levels to learn about barriers, successful strategies, and possible recommendations for federal policy action in the field of I-ECMH.
As a result of these interviews, in May 2012, the ZERO TO THREE Policy Center released Making It Happen: Overcoming Barriers to Providing Infant-Early Childhood Mental Health. This report reviewed the scientific evidence behind I-ECMH policies; examined issues faced by national, state, and local program directors and mental health practitioners in providing I-ECMH services; and proposed a set of recommendations for policy improvements at the federal level.