SD ECCS August 2025 Update
Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems: ECCS
Ensuring a strong start for all children can reduce vulnerabilities and prevent ACEs, but it requires collaboration and co-ownership of strategies and solutions. This newsletter provides updates on SD ECCS activities and also provide external learning opportunities, resources and news to increase our shared understanding and ability to ensure a strong start for all South Dakota children.
Three-Part Series | Growing Together: Understanding and Supporting Early Childhood Development
Now available in CPCM’s Training Library is this 3-part training series.
Through this 3-part Growing Together webinar series, our goal is to provide the latest information about child development and explore how, from the earliest years, developmental trajectories are shaped by children’s environments, including their relational and social environments. The presenters are Dr. Jennifer Kampmann (SD Birth to Three) and Dr. Andrew Stremmel (SDSU Professor Emeritus). Certificates are provided at the end of each 90 minute session. Contact hours and continuing education are approved for SD Social Workers, SD Community Health Workers, SD licensed childcare providers, and SD Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists. By learning together and putting what we learn into practice, we can collectively contribute to the healthy development of all of South Dakota’s children.
Find the recording at https://sdcpcm.com/eccs-updates/growing-together-understanding-and-supporting-early-childhood-development/.
Touchpoints Series
Check out the upcoming Touchpoints webinars below and be sure to register to join the conversation.
August 12 | 12-1pm CT
Perinatal Mental Health Disorders, and the Impact on Children Age 0-3
Speakers: Stephanie Hanson, MPH, PMH-C, PhD Candidate and Keri Pappas, MPH, BIRTH-SD-UNITE, South Dakota State University
Join us for a presentation by Stephanie Hanson, Executive Director of the SD Perinatal Quality Collaborative and the HRSA-funded BIRTH-SD to learn more about perinatal mental health disorders, the impact on children 0-3, and efforts in South Dakota being done in this area of research and practice. (Contact hours available for social workers and community health workers.)
September 9 | 12-1pm CT
The Power of Family Voice
Speakers: Steph Wiegand, Family Leader; Elizabeth Welfl, Family Leader; Darbi Hunt, ECCS Family Lead and Community and Family Services Early Childhood Projects Director
Join us as we focus on engaging and empowering family leaders. We will discuss the value and power of family voice and present the Family Voice and Leadership Continuum developed by the Early Childhood Investment Corporation. Parent Leaders who have successfully advocated within South Dakota’s early childhood system will share their unique experiences, including the challenges they faced and how they overcame them, offering pointers and inspiration for others to use their voice on issues they are passionate about.
You can now view the most recent Touchpoints Session at SDCPCM.com/ECCS.
Businesses for Babies
Family-forward workplace policies ARE a primary prevention resource. Family-forward policies benefit the business, families, and South Dakota children. Please join us in recognizing Move to Health South Dakota and The Compass Center, one of our Businesses for Babies!
Is your business for babies? Learn more about the power of family-forward work policies as a primary prevention strategy and nominate a South Dakota business to be featured.
Paid Family Leave Stories
We’d love to hear your story.
Your voice can help shape the future of family-forward policies in South Dakota. We are collecting real stories to show the impact of paid family and medical leave – your story could help drive change.
Visit southdakota.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cATZkTwcl0Wwtls to share your Paid Family and Medical Leave story today!
Other Partner Updates and News
BIRTH-SD-AIM Monthly Topic Calls
Learning opportunities about Perinatal Mental Health Conditions from BIRTH-SD-AIM. Contact [email protected] or [email protected] for more details and to register for upcoming training opportunities.
Empowering Families Retreat
Registration is now open for parenting adults to attend a free retreat at the beautiful K Bar S Lodge in Keystone, SD. The retreat is for everyone who is raising children at home—parents, grandparents, guardians, and caregivers of all kinds. Click HERE to see the latest flier. Limited spaces are available, click HERE to register.
Become a Trained Doula
The Sept. 5-6 training in Brookings is approved by the state of South Dakota for requirements to become a certified Medicaid Provider. For details, visit https://childbirthsupportspecialists.com/registration.
EXTERNAL RESOURCES AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
PN-3 Policy Impact Center
The Prenatal-to-Three Policy Impact Center translates research on the best public investments into state policy actions that produce results for young children and society. Their Clearinghouse is an ongoing inventory of rigorous evidence reviews of the impact of policies and strategies on infants and toddlers and their families, and their website resource page now houses all 51 unique State Roadmap Profiles including overviews and summaries.
National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers
A grantee of the Pritzker Children’s Initiative, the American Heart Association administers the National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers (NCIT). Through the NCIT, a national movement is building to educate the public and the policymakers on behalf of the youngest children and their families across issue areas including nutrition and food access, healthcare, early care and education, family economic security and more. Click on the link above to access key tools and resources and sign up to become a free member of the NCIT by clicking here.
Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Applications are now open for Georgetown University’s 9 mo. online certificate program in Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC). Open to professionals across disciplines—mental health, education, early intervention, home visiting, Head Start, and more. Learn more and apply here.
Let’s Connect!
If you would like to learn more about the SD ECCS efforts, provide feedback, or share more about your efforts to ensure a strong start for South Dakota’s youngest children, please email [email protected]. Are you working on some of these goals and strategies–or could they be included in your plans and activities? We’d love to learn more, collaborate, and celebrate your work.
