Interview: Gina Panattoni: EASEY – Mental Health for Early Years

Photo by Christopher Ryan

We spoke recently with Gina Panattoni, Prevention Consultant, Child and Youth Mental Health policy team, within the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) about the launch of the new Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Early Years (EASEY) online course.

EASEY, developed by the CYMH policy team within MCFD, supports the mental health literacy of early years professionals and is an extension of the Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators (EASE) course for school-aged children. This new EASEY course provides practical and evidence-informed information and strategies to strengthen capacity of B.C. early years professionals to support children and families whose children, aged 0-6, are experiencing mild to moderate or “everyday anxiety.” The course offers an online collection of resources. A separate “At Home” version will launch for parents and caregivers in spring 2024.

“It’s hard for professionals in the ECE field to complete professional development with challenging schedules and a shortage of substitute staff,” says Gina. So an online session was offered recently to allow early years professionals an opportunity to complete the course. Gina reported that the session was really well received. “There was a lot to get through in three hours, but participants were receptive and focused, and the session went well.”

EASEY, an exploration of infant mental health and developing anxiety mental health literacy in young children, includes getting beyond the stereotypes of what anxiety can look like in children. In addition to the more commonly recognized symptoms, sometimes behavioural issues such as rebellion and acting out can be symptomatic of anxiety.

EASEY is designed to operate in the realm of prevention and early intervention, not clinical intervention, and focuses on mild to moderate or “everyday anxiety.” Gina says some early childhood professionals don’t see themselves as clinicians and they therefore don’t realize that their observations, as they play and interact with children, are extremely valuable. She hopes EASEY will help to raise awareness and confidence in the value of their skilled observations.

EASEY is available as a self-paced online course, taking approximately 2-3 hours to complete. While designed as a linear course, it does not have to be done in one sitting and participants can return and review course information and retain access to the resources. Resources can be printed off and there’s a resource download at the end of the course. Resources are split between those for early years professionals and those more specifically to share with parents. The resources, including storybook lists and curated lists of existing excellent resources, developed with input from B.C. early years providers, represent a lot of work on behalf of the team that has been involved in preparing materials and developing the course.

Tools will also be included to facilitate workplace groups to get together either before and/or after taking the course, or those who might like to work through the course as a group.

Gina’s hope for EASEY is that people will feel supported in learning more about anxiety in young children and in their programs. The team completed a number of video interviews with professionals around the province who shared their insights and work experience.

The resources can also be adapted to specific circumstances.

Examples:

·       The materials and learning are appropriate for use in a family drop-in environment, such as when the facilitator observes a child that doesn’t want to separate from their caregiver, or a parent who is demonstrating embarrassment or concern about their child’s behaviour.

·       There is a module on self-care to support the caregiver in being able to have the energy to support their child.

·       There are stories, play-based activities, and art activities that can be used with children and that can be shared with the parent to try with their child at home.

The three-hour course for professionals assumes a certain level of early years knowledge and training, which is why it’s not open to parents and the general public. The “At Home” version, following soon in 2024, will introduce the same concepts, but will be adapted using everyday language rather than ECE-specific terminology. The “At Home” version will be shorter and made up of bite-sized, accessible groupings of resources and information.

The Information is available at https://healthymindsbc.gov.bc.ca/ on a newly redesigned version of the website.