I agreed to participate!!

The following study published in Infant Mental Health, Implementation of a Mental Health Consultation Model and it's Impact on Early Childhood Teachers' Efficacy and Competence, was conducted by Tulane University in Louisiana child care centers.  I was teaching at the time and participated in this research project.  The main idea was if teachers were socially and emotionally supported within their teaching environments, they would be more effective as teachers in an early learning environment.  Mental health consultants came to our center and offered support through individual classroom observations and group conversations.  We discussed whatever "drama" was occurring in the work environment and any other concerns we may have had about the children in our care.  We were basically given an onsite mental health consultant that visited every other week.
As a result, our center staff became close and we verbalized any concerns, instead of letting them boil and bubble through gossip.  The study concludes what I saw evident in the center I was working.  Mental health support, offered on a large, state led scale can increase teacher efficacy. I and my fellow staff members returned to work after many of these sessions, inspired to work as a team and for the children we were teaching.   I was happy to contribute to the growing body of knowledge that works to improve teacher child relationships and the efficacy of early learning programs.
Walden University Discovery Service: Implementation of a mental health consultation model and its impact on earl...

At the National Conventions, the Words They Used

Really cool tool!  Try typing in "early childhood" or "education," very interesting!!

At the National Conventions, the Words They Used - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com