A graduate student Neena Viel conducted research for a joint initiative between the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) on the use of infant mental health screening tools to better support children’s long-term health outcomes.
University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service student Neena Viel of Newburgh, NY spent the spring of 2014 surveying a total of 469 early childcare learning centers, collecting information about the use of screening tools for social-emotional health, and the key barriers to implementing screening.
“When children experience healthy social and emotional development, they are able play, learn and face challenges successfully,” Dr. Nicola Connors-Burrow, associate professor at UAMS said. “It is critical that we focus on ways to identify and support young children at risk for early problems in their social and emotional development.”
Children lacking positive relationships and environments can suffer from negative impacts on the developing brain, resulting in developmental delays and life-long social-emotional problems. Viel’s work is the first project centered on gaining a picture of current screening practices of early childcare providers, in order to better equip DHS to standardize the process and better meet the needs of Arkansas’ most vulnerable demographic: children 0-3.
“Neena’s work will help us to assess the needs statewide and drive the effort within the DHS Division of Childcare and Early Childhood Education and Division of Behavioral Health Services to implement a comprehensive plan for addressing the social-emotional well-being of infants and toddlers in Arkansas,” said Marquita Little, Director of Policy and Planning at DHS.
This project was completed as part of Viel’s Capstone project, the third and final field project in the Master of Public Service degree program.
About DHS
The Department of Human Services (DHS) is Arkansas’ largest state agency, housing 10 divisions in Little Rock as well as 85 county offices. DHS administers a number of key services including ARKids First health insurance for children, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) and Medicaid. DHS serves more than 1.2 million Arkansans every year, many of them vulnerable populations.
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