OCDEL to Offer Infant Mental Health Certificate to ECE Professionals

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) will again provide the opportunity for state early childhood education professionals to participate in the University of Pittsburgh’s free Infant Mental Health professional development certificate.

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OCDEL will enable licensed child care providers, Head Start/Early Head Start and PA Pre-K Counts programs to take part in the certificate with no-cost scholarships to professionals serving children and families in prenatal, infant, toddler, and preschool programs.

Traditionally, the certificate has been provided to infant/toddler early intervention, OCDEL-funded home visitors, Infant Early Childhood Mental Health, and Rapid Response team members. The extension of the course to providers is a result of ongoing discussions and evaluation of requests for professional development from the field.

In an announcement, OCDEL said it recognized the challenges faced by state providers in supporting the mental health and well-being of children and families in their early years. The organization believes that the early childhood system is most effective when collaborative work is relationship-based, culturally sensitive, grounded in an understanding of developmental theory, research, and supported by reflective practice. 

The extension of the course to providers aims to continue building the capacity of early learning professionals to partner with others and better support families in Pennsylvania.

Those interested in taking the course should apply for sponsorship through The Pennsylvania Key. The application for the 2026 Infant Mental Health (IMH) Certificate and Learning Circle Scholarship will be open through Tuesday, November 25.

Criteria and Other Considerations

Criteria for applicants includes:

• Demonstrate, at minimum, one year of experience working with young children and their families.

• Have the ability to complete the IMH Foundations course within the timeframe of January through December 2026.

• Participate in virtual Learning Circles; applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the Introduction to IMH Course Webinar on January 21 and attend a minimum of two additional Learning Circles, which occur monthly for 1.5 hours at two different times with a cohort of fellow professionals to discuss course content. 

During the candidate approval and evaluation process, these other considerations will be taken into account:

• Provider type and area of service

• Number of children served by the provider

• Number of children with IFSPs and IEPs served by the provider

• Number of children who are dual-language learners served by the provider

• The applicant’s experience, education, and role

• The applicant’s ability to provide services in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner

• Supervisor approval and support for completion of the course

For more information, visit The Pennsylvania Key’s website.