EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH
Decades of research have shown how critical the first five years of life are and how vulnerable young children’s developing brains are to experiences of toxic stress. Lincoln Families prioritizes early intervention and prevention-based services that promote young children's and families' social and emotional well-being. By intervening early and working within family and school systems, we work to disrupt cycles of poverty and trauma and build resilience.
WHAT WE DO | OUR WHY | OUTCOMES | RESOURCES | CONTACT
What we do
Lincoln Families’ Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) program brings relationship-based mental health support to young children and families across Oakland. We help prepare young children to be successful in school, build educators’ and parents’ capacity to promote the social and emotional well-being of the children in their care and support families in healing after stressful life events. Our team provides a variety of services intended to assist in the early identification and treatment of developmental differences and behavior concerns and to help create learning environments that are culturally responsive and trauma-informed. Services to educators and caregivers include:
Child-specific and classroom-wide consultations with teachers and parents
Resource linkages and referrals for families to access community supports
Individual child therapy and family therapy
Teacher and parent skill-building workshops
Whole class social-emotional lessons
our why
Children in our community experience higher levels of poverty, more exposure to violence, and lower high school graduation rates than their peers. One in five preschool children struggle with challenging behaviors, and an increasing number of young children with significant social and emotional difficulties are being identified in childcare settings. Research shows that children who have adverse childhood experiences and do not receive adequate support face increased risks for academic failure, depression, and heart disease in adulthood.
outcomes
A few of many improved outcomes from FY20/21 to FY 21/22:
100% of educators indicated increased access to resources and support (7% increase);
100% of educators indicated improved skills to support children’s academic and socio-emotional development (14% increase); and
98% of educators indicated increased confidence in managing children’s behavior (16% increase).
resources
Service Delivery / Eligibility & Referrals: One of only two providers serving 65 early educators, and impacting nearly 700 children, ages 3-6, in 10 CDCs in the Oakland Unified School District. The services are free for participating CDCs, as well as students and families referred for services by early educators.
contact
Brooke Barnett, Psy.D.
Clinical Manager
brookebarnett@lincolnfamilies.org
510.368.5324
Ellen Kinoy, LMFT
Clinical Director
ellenkinoy@lincolnfamilies.org
510.273.4700, x4111
"I learned how important it is to develop a strong relationship with each child, getting to know them as individuals and learning about their interests and strengths."
— OUSD Early Childhood Educator