Early Childhood Mental Health: Supporting Colorado’s Caregivers, Communities, & You!

Session archive

Session Slides (PDF)

Libraries play an important role in communities and are a point of connection, safety, and exploration for many children and families.  Library staff are uniquely positioned to support many key elements of early childhood growth and development. Day-to-day interaction with children and their caregivers and thoughtful community programming position libraries as a meaningful partner in Colorado’s early childhood landscape.

Additionally, we cannot talk about positive early childhood mental health outcomes without discussing the well-being of caregivers and community partners. In this session, we will explore:

• Reflection on the unique ways that library staff impact and are impacted by early childhood mental health needs in the community.
• Tools and strategies for supporting mental health outcomes among young children and their caregivers via the day-to-day interaction and meaningful programming offered in your community.
• Collaboration opportunities between local libraries and Early Childhood Mental Health professionals.

About the Presenters

Natalie Holifield, LCSW, is an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant (ECMHC) at WellPower in Denver, CO. Natalie’s educational background is in Sociology, Gender & Women’s Studies, and Social Work with a focus on Positive Child & Youth Development. In her role as an ECMHC, Natalie focuses on building caregiver capacity to effectively support the young children in their care. She is passionate about supporting young children and caregivers through observation and assessment, caregiver education, reflective practice, and systems work with early learning centers across the Denver area.