In a significant step toward supporting the mental health needs of young children in the San Gabriel Valley (SGV) community, Pacific Clinics Head Start and Early Head Start (HS/EHS) partnered with the Asian Pacific Family Center (APFC) to provide educational resources and promote awareness. This collaboration focused on destigmatizing mental health in young children while providing caregivers and educators with essential tools to foster emotional well-being. Recognizing the lack of mental health services for children from birth to five years old within the SGV community, the two programs joined forces to address the growing need for support.
Mental Health Therapists Patrick Yao and Ariel Wenyu and Clinical Team Supervisor Michelle Ng collaborated in providing training and educational observations.
Two main presentations were followed by classroom observations. The first presentation, designed for providers in HS/EHS, focused on the importance of destigmatizing mental health for young children. The second, tailored specifically for Chinese parents and providers, offered guidance on understanding and responding to their children’s emotional needs. Lastly, the team observed multiple classroom sessions across various programs and provided clinical feedback on enhancing the mental health curriculum.
“Pacific Clinics HS/EHS played a proactive role in initiating and supporting the partnership with APFC and their commitment to community well-being shines through,” said Michelle. “Their follow-through and genuine concern for the families they serve made this collaboration such a pleasure.”
APFC’s culturally competent approach has been vital in bridging the gap between mental health resources and the needs of the SGV Chinese community.
