Search Results (2)

Early intervention services are a critical support for young children experiencing developmental delays and disabilities. Due to myriad negative social and economic conditions, some infants and young children, namely Black, Indigenous, and other children of color, as well as those experiencing poverty, are at greater risk of experiencing a developmental delay or disability and experiencing issues of access to needed services and supports within and beyond early intervention programs. Due to these systemic issues, these infants and young children are more likely to have caregivers experiencing mental health concerns and issues of access to services and supports. Early childhood serving programs are faced with meeting the behavioral health needs of families experiencing cumulative vulnerabilities. Some early intervention (EI) programs are partnering with infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) providers to meet mental health needs. IECMH consultation (IECMHC) is a multi-level support that aims to build the capacity of early childhood programs to meet the needs of young children, families, caregivers, and staff. IECMHC has an intentional focus on promoting and ensuring equity, specifically more equitable systems. It focuses on addressing inequities impacting young children and their caregivers, thus strengthening these essential collaborations. This paper highlights research demonstrating the importance and collective power of IECMHC in early intervention programs to advance behavioral health and equity. Full article

“Capability” is an important conceptual tool for addressing educational inequity (EI). This paper analyzes the existing limitations of developing educational equity in China from the human capital perspective and proposes the human capability approach as a way to improve it. This paper begins by a policy review on China’s education equity measures, revealing a troubling emphasis on resources allocation and a “top-down” governance. In response, we propose an actionable research approach as a means to improve multi-stakeholder collaboration in educational equity reform and to further the development of student capabilities. The study also presents a case study to illustrate the process of using “capability” and actionable research methods to promote educational equity, demonstrating the necessity and effectiveness. We also note that education inequality is a delicate and complicated topic that requires joint, flexible and innovative efforts. Full article