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Montana Early Childhood Coalition

A Week of Connection and Learning in the HMHB World!

By advocacy, Community, Community Support, Early Childhood, Montana Early Childhood Coalition, Positive Childhood Experiences

It has been an exciting week at Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies (HMHB), filled with opportunities for connection and collaboration. We were thrilled to participate in two meaningful events.

Montana Early Childhood Coalition Meeting

On Monday, with our partners from the Center for Children, Families & Workforce Development and Zero to Five, we helped convene the first in-person meeting of the Montana Early Childhood Coalition (MTECC) in several years. The MTECC consists of dedicated individuals who work at the community level through their local early childhood coalitions and other service providing organizations. The in-person meeting provided an excellent platform for participants to share ideas and discuss what’s working locally. Attendees exchanged insights, built connections, and shared innovative ideas with stakeholders from across the state. The meeting also included dialogues with representatives from statewide organizations and discussions on recent studies and needs assessments.

For more information about the Montana Early Childhood Coalition or to see if you or your organization might be eligible to participate, visit the MTECC website or please contact:

Resilience Rising: Positive Childhood Experiences Summit

On Tuesday, HMHB helped host the Resilience Rising: Positive Childhood Experiences (PCE) Summit. Members of the MTECC joined various stakeholders and professionals from across the state to explore the importance of positive childhood experiences.

The summit featured expert speakers, including:

  • Christina D. Bethell, PhD – Director, Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  • Donald Warne, MD, MPH – Co-Director, Center for Indigenous Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  • Stacy Dreessan & Teresa Nygaard – Child Abuse Prevention Centers of Montana
  • Faith Price, PhD – Research Associate, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  • James Caringi, PhD – Professor, University of Montana School of Public & Community Health Sciences, College of Health
  • Becky Franks – Special Projects Director, The Montana Institute

The event also highlighted community-based successes spearheaded by these dedicated professionals in Lincoln and Park Counties:

The summit included discussions on the science and significance of PCEs, including in Indigenous populations, and insights from direct service providers on fostering PCE-informed communities. While session recordings aren’t available, you can find more information on the speakers and their work in the links provided above.

Upcoming Events

Carrying forward the energy of this week, we wanted to share reminders about several upcoming events and learning opportunities before the end of the year!

Perinatal Mental Health 101

Mark your calendars for Perinatal Mental Health 101 on September 10 and 17. This FREE virtual training is open to anyone interested in learning the basics of perinatal mental health. Dr. Samantha Greenberg from Greater Valley Health Center in Kalispell, MT, will lead the sessions.  Click here to register for this exciting event!

Perinatal Mental Health Conference

Following Dr. Greenberg’s sessions, we are thrilled to host the 7th Annual Perinatal Mental Health Conference in-person! You can find more information here.  We have some incredible national and local speakers and panelists we will be announcing soon! While we will offer a virtual option for those unable to travel to Helena, we look forward to the in-person connection and networking. Click here to register for this exciting event!

For more training and development opportunities across the state and within the perinatal mental health landscape, please visit our training opportunities page.

We loved seeing so many wonderful faces this week (in person and virtually!) and hope to continue the great connections and conversations throughout the rest of the year and beyond!