Project SUCCEED: Supporting Colorado Children’s Early Emotional Development is a Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) grant funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Project SUCCEED is intended to help increase our state’s capacity to address the unmet mental health needs of Colorado’s children. 

For a variety of reasons, including a lack of awareness of age-appropriate norms and expectations, as well as stigma, mental health problems in young children (0 to 8 years) are often unrecognized or misunderstood and therefore go untreated. This is true for children who are typically developing as well as for children with developmental disabilities. This is unfortunate, since sound mental health provides the foundation for all aspects of a child’s development, and early treatment increases the likelihood of positive outcomes. 

Our project aims to address this critically important public health issue by offering training to a diverse group of individuals in Colorado who touch the lives of young children—including, among others, professionals, paraprofessionals, first responders, parents, and other family members alike. This training includes but is not limited to, recognizing mental health challenges experienced by young children who are typically developing or have developmental disabilities, learning effective ways to respond to tantrums, meltdowns, or other challenging or aggressive behaviors, understanding when a referral to a mental health professional may be warranted, and knowing how to connect with referral resources in the state.