Zero to Three - Volume 33, No. 4 - March 2013 - (Page 52)

Perspectives Reflections of a ZERO TO THREE National Training Institute Neophyte taniKa siMpson Minding the Baby, Yale Child Study Center, New haven, Connecticut Connecticut Association for Infant Mental health New haven, Connecticut The ZERO TO THREE National Training Institute (NTI) has been somewhat of a professional “holy grail” to me for the last 5 years. Each year, as I received a “Save the Date” email I would yearn desperately to attend only to realize sadly that work, financial, and family demands (particularly having two small children of my own during those years) made attending the NTI prohibitive for me on many levels. Fast track to September 2012 when I receive yet another “Save the Date” for the 2012 NTI to be held in sophisticated downtown los Angeles, CA. I have the wonderful revelation that: 1. I have earned enough professional development funds for my place of employment to help finance my attendance. 2. The themes and topics offered are perfectly matched to my current professional role as an infant mental health specialist which includes the titles of: home visitor, reflective supervisor and consultant, and trainer. 3. My little ones are finally school-aged and big enough to survive for a week in the sole care of their very laid-back father! Immediately I submit my request to my employer for professional development funds and begin anticipating this coveted opportunity to convene and connect with the foremost cutting-edge experts 5 2 Z e ro to th ree M arch 2 0 1 3 in infants, toddlers, and families! I relish being a witness to the latest discoveries in policy, research, and practice matters that matter most for this very complex population. After months of such excitement and anticipation, let me just say that the experience was so much more than I could have ever imagined! My week began in beautiful Redondo Beach, CA, with a 2-day pre-NTI retreat convening a national league of state Infant Mental Health Associations that are intensely committed to the work of implementing Michigan’s Infant Mental Health Endorsement (IMH-E®) in their home states. The Michigan Association of Infant Mental Health has been a national leader in building an organized professional development system that recognizes and documents the work, education, learning, and training experiences of the infant and family workforce with emphasis on professional preparation that demonstrates competency in culturally sensitive, relationship-based, high-quality infant mental health service delivery (Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health, 2013). As a brand new endorsement coordinator for my own home state’s Infant Mental Health Association, being able to participate in this retreat was like adding an extra dollop of whipped cream to an already delectable slice of pie! The experience of connecting with like minds, not to mention being in the presence of such wisdom and brilliance felt truly transformative. In the frenetic chaos of daily life, the privilege of taking pause to think more deeply about the work done by those of us in the infant mental health field, and how and why we work the way we do, is a rarity. Those 2 days really set the tone for the mindset I took with me into the NTI. As a group of retreaters, we pondered and debated about the future of our league of states, how modern technology and the advent of social marketing will impact the infant mental health field, the importance of cultivating new leadership to carry the torch into the future, and the growing challenge of operationalizing reflective supervision in measurable terms; while still protecting the integrity of an intimate, transformative experience that yields immeasurable benefits. We grappled with finding ways to allow the concepts of “knowing for sure” and “not knowing at all” to coexist peacefully within the infant mental health profession with the realization that “sometimes not knowing may be the vehicle to becoming the wisest we can ever be” (Weston, 2012). We asked ourselves and each other in raw, honest ways what we

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Zero to Three - Volume 33, No. 4 - March 2013

Zero to Three - March 2013
This Issue and Why It Matters
What Researchers Have Learned About Toddlers and Television
Toddlers, Electronic Media, and Language Development: What Researchers Know So Far
The Media Environments and Television-Viewing Diets of Infants and Toddlers: Findings From a National Survey of Parents
Trusting the Tube: Current Information About an Established Technology
Toddlers and Touch Screens: Potential for Early Learning?
Does Culture Matter in Early Childhood Media Use?
Investigating the Family Bed
PERSPECTIVES —Reflections of a ZERO TO THREE National Training Institute Neophyte
Jargon Buster—A Glossary of Selected Terms
Upcoming Issues

Zero to Three - Volume 33, No. 4 - March 2013