Family Connections: an approach for strengthening early care systems in facing depression and adversity

Over a 4-year period, the authors worked in partnership with a large early care provider and a Head Start center to design and implement a systems-wide preventive program with the aim of increasing staff's capacity to deal with depression and related adversities in their encounters with families and children. The intervention consisted primarily of training sessions and mental health consultation. Staff interviews, focus groups, reports by consultants, observations by assessors, and documentation of staff use of sick time were used to assess program impact. Reports by staff showed that the intervention proved feasible to deliver and resulted in sustained parent, classroom, and teacher activities. Teachers were better able to deal with the challenges presented by parents and children. Results suggest that center-wide staff-focused training and consultation approaches deserve consideration.