VISION
All Alabama Children Thrive By Five
MISSION
The mission of First 5 Alabama is to enhance healthy attachment relationships between children birth to age five and the adults who care for them through promotion, prevention, and intervention supports throughout Alabama's early childhood systems.
PURPOSE AND GOALS
  • promote throughout Alabama, the healthy social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of young children through supportive and nurturing relationships from conception through five years of age;
​
  • facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation among individuals concerned with promoting conditions that will bring about the optimal development of young children and child-caregiver and child-parent relationships;
​
  • encourage the realization that early childhood is a sensitive period in the psychosocial development of individuals;
​
  • promote education, research, and study of the effects of mental development during early childhood on later social/emotional/behavioral and psychopathological development;
​
  • promote education, professional development, and expertise of a cadre of professionals concerning the mental health of young children, parents, families and other caregivers of young children;
​
  • promote the development of scientifically based and/or informed programs of care, promotion, intervention, and prevention of mental impairment in early childhood.
HISTORY
The Alabama Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (AAIECMH) became a chartered association January 31, 2017 and operates under the name of First 5 Alabama.
 
First 5 Alabama is a licensed affiliate of the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health®, a global organization that includes Infant Mental Health (IMH) associations who have licensed the use of the Competency Guidelines® and Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health®, created by the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. There are currently 30 members of the Alliance.
​
First 5 Alabama provides a forum for interdisciplinary collaboration by advocating for the application of infant and early childhood mental health principles in services for infants, young children, and caregivers.
​
First 5 Alabama works to facilitate, support, and encourage cooperation, coordination, and collaboration among those concerned with promoting the optimal development of infants, toddlers, young children and families
First 5 Alabama is a Member Organization of
The Alliance is a global organization that includes multiple states and international associations whose infant mental health associations have licensed the use of the Competency Guidelines® and Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health® under their associations’ names.
The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) or U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 
©2019 by First 5 Alabama.