Our goals are to shatter the mythology about early childhood mental health and build powerful community action teams that work to increase awareness, early intervention and prevention efforts among families, childcare providers, and healthcare professionals.

The Greater St. Cloud Area Thrive Coalition

In central Minnesota, the Greater St. Cloud Area Thrive group is working to ensure that all families have access to the information and resources they need.  Their current focuses include:

• Integrate medical and mental health, school and childcare services in a family centered manner.
• Create a grassroots movement to make early childhood mental health funding a priority with policy makers.
• Ensure that every parent and every expectant parent understands the importance of healthy social and emotional development and has access to community based resources.
• Increase the number and enhance the skills of mental health providers and other professional working with young children.
• Increase early childhood mental health education and resources for child care providers.

• Developing a Professional Learning Community which brings professionals together from St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud Technical College and from the mental health and early childhood community.
• Providing training for childcare providers about the social and emotional needs of the young children they care for.