What is the system challenge?

Infants and toddlers in Etobicoke, an area just west of Toronto’s downtown core, stand out as a vulnerable population when specific indicators of need are considered. Higher levels of risk are associated with key determinants of health including:

low income;
single mothers;
visible minority groups;
recent immigrants;
maternal age (for example, teen pregnancy); and
low birth weight.

Families experiencing these vulnerabilities require a system that intentionally invests in care that meets their needs. Science shows that investing in healthy early social-emotional development, which refers to a child’s ability to express their emotions and form positive relationships, can have a significant positive impact in the mental health outcomes of children throughout their lives.

Etobicoke has a strong network of services committed to serving infants from birth to age three and their families. However, they have expressed that they are not using an intentional systematic approach to promoting social-emotional development and that this is a challenge.

What are we doing about it?

The goal of First Steps to Success in Etobicoke is to strengthen the capacity of the system to intervene early and prevent the development of mental health challenges in vulnerable infants. Enhancing the skills of service providers in a variety of settings, including child care centres and community-based family services, will help to build a workforce that more effectively provides social and emotional support for infants and reduces their risk of future mental health challenges.

Project partners chose the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children as the intervention needed to meet these goals. This model is evidence-based and designed to systematically enhance services across levels, including universal supports, prevention approaches for infants and toddlers who are more at risk, and intensive interventions for those who need the most support.

Benefits of implementing the Pyramid Model include:

increases in child social skills;
reductions in challenging behavior;
improved family satisfaction;
higher retention of children in programs; and
an increase in staff confidence levels.

Project Brief: The Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children

Evidence Brief: First Steps to Success in Etobicoke

Exploration
Installation
Initial Implementation
Full Implementation

?What's this?

Exploration

During the Exploration process, a series of interviews and focus groups were conducted with a wide range of service providers across different sectors who work with young children and their families in Etobicoke and Toronto, as well as with parents and families of young children connected to services. To date we have conducted 13 key informant interviews and four family focus groups. These consultations involved diverse stakeholders, including adult mental health and addictions, children’s mental health, child welfare, Etobicoke Brighter Futures Coalition, family members and primary care providers.

Through these consultations, infant mental health system challenges and needs have been better identified and the 0-3 Service Collaborative has been able to define an area of focus for their work.

Installation

The Pyramid Model includes a series of trainings and a thorough coaching component designed to ensure uptake of new learning within the implementing sites. Project partners are currently setting up these training modules and recruiting staff to become coaches. Some settings are in the process of adapting elements of the intervention to best fit with their programs. An oversight committee is being formed to support implementation for the duration of the project.

Who is involved?

Albion Early Learning and Child Care Centre
Delta Family Resource Centre
Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter
Humber College Child Development Centre
The Jean Tweed Centre
Kipling Early Learning and Child Care Centre
Rexdale Women’s Centre
Rowntree Early Learning and Child Care Centre

Next Steps

Form Agency Implementation Teams at each organization to support the implementation of the Pyramid Model
Recruit staff who will provide coaching in the Pyramid Model practices to all participating staff
Plan Pyramid Model trainings and deliver them in Winter 2018
Obtain a baseline measure of the current implementation of practices by administering The Pyramid Infant-Toddler Observation Scale (TPITOS) at all participating agencies

For more information, please contact:

Swelen Andari

Toronto
416-535-8501, ext. 30203
Swelen.Andari@camh.ca

CAMH PSSP

First Steps to Success in Etobicoke