RESOURCE
Perspectives on Early Relational Health Series
Promoting and supporting foundational early relationships
Overview
The Perspectives on Early Relational Health Series brings together a diverse group of parents, pediatricians, researchers, and providers to share their perspectives on why Early Relational Health matters, and what they are doing to support and promote foundational early relationships.
We hope these conversations inspire new insights and motivate you to join us in our collective movement to support healthy early relationships, so every child and their caregivers thrive—now and into the future.
Perspectives on Early Relational Health Series
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In this introductory video, David Willis, MD, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy, shares why the Center for the Study of Social Policy has developed this video series to share the critical and timely discussions about the fundamental importance of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships for the healthy development of all infants, young children, and their caregivers. Click for the Perspectives on Early Relational Health Discussion Guide.
Session 1: The Principles and Framework of Early Relational Health
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In the first session, David Willis, MD, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy, is in conversation with MaryEtta Callier-Wells, Parenting Program Supervisor, Lead Educator, and Facilitator at Self Enhancement, Inc., about the principles and framework of Early Relational Health. They discuss why Early Relational Health is essential to child and family well-being and what parents are telling us about the importance of creating and nurturing healthy early relationships. This is especially critical for families as they navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic uncertainties, and the deep and persistent systemic inequities that many families experience.
Additional Resources
- Discussion Guide 1: Perspectives on Early Relational Health
- Building Relationships: Framing Early Relational Health
- Changing the Mindset: Foundational Relationships Counter Adversity with HOPE—Center for the Study of Social Policy
- Early Relational Health National Survey: What We’re Learning From the Field
- InCK Marks: Building the relational health workforce
- Family Voices in Early Relational Health, December 1, 2020
- Early Relational Health and Protective Factors, June 2020
Session 2: The Paradigm Shift in Pediatrics—From Responding to Toxic Stress to Promoting Early Relational Health
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In the second session, we hear from Dipesh Navsaria, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Public Health and Clinical Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Andy Garner, MD, Pediatrician and Clinical Professor at Case Western Reserve University, about the paradigm shift in pediatrics—moving from responding to toxic stress to promoting Early Relational Health. They discuss the essential role providers play in supporting Early Relational Health and how they can pivot from a deficit framework to a strengths-based approach to support families in developing healthy early relationships.
Additional Resources
- Discussion Guide 2: Perspectives on Early Relational Health
- Preventing Childhood Toxic Stress: Partnering With Families and Communities to Promote Relational Health, American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement
- Opinion | Nature’s important, but our priority should be nurturing
- From Early Micro-Temporal Interaction Patterns to Child Cortisol Levels: Toward the Role of Interactive Reparation and Infant Attachment in a Longitudinal Study
- Social and Relational Health Risks and Common Mental Health Problems Among US Children: The Mitigating Role of Family Resilience and Connection to Promote Positive Socioemotional and School-Related Outcomes
Session 3: The Foundations of Emotional Connection
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In the third session, David Willis, MD, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy, speaks with Dr. Junlei Li, Co-Chair, Human Development and Education Program and Saul Zaentz Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, about the foundations of emotional connection. They discuss the mutuality, or bi-directionality, of early relationships and what these healthy early relationships can look like across cultures and contexts. Dr. Li discusses the idea of promoting the universality of early relationships, rather than uniformity in what these healthy relationships look like. Finally, they re-imagine what systems could look like if we centered and promoted Early Relational Health.
Additional Resources
- Discussion Guide 3: Perspectives on Early Relational Health
- Universality Without Uniformity: A Culturally Inclusive Approach to Sensitive Responsiveness in Infant Caregiving
- How Simple, Everyday Interactions Make the Difference in Early Childhood
- The Simple Interactions Tool
Session 4: Parent and Provider Relationships Grounded in ERH
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In the fourth session, Dayna Long, MD, Pediatrician and Co-Director, Center for Child and Community Health, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, is in conversation with Nai Pharn (Ajero), Health Education Coordinator at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, and Jerome Traylor, a parent whose children receive care at the hospital. They discuss why relationships matter in the health care system and how to bring Early Relational Health to the work that they do everyday. Ms. Pharn describes her work as a Health Education Coordinator and provides an overview of the Resiliency Clinic program she facilitates. Mr. Traylor shares his experience with the Resiliency Clinic and the hospital and how these programs and relationships have impacted him and his family.