PRESS RELEASE: DuPage County Early Childhood Mental Health Symposium Unites Community Leaders & Service Providers
PRESS RELEASE
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For more information, contact:
Maggie Koller (she/her)
Communications Manager
(309) 233-0434
mkoller@birthtofiveil.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2025
DUPAGE COUNTY EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM UNITES COMMUNITY LEADERS & SERVICE PROVIDERS
Attendees Co-created Strategies for Progress
Birth to Five Illinois, in partnership with the DuPage County Health Department and KidsMatter, hosted the DuPage County Early Childhood Mental Health Symposium on September 3, 2025, at the Morton Arboretum. The event welcomed 112 in-person attendees and 28 virtual participants via Zoom live stream.
Valerie Varju, Birth to Five Illinois: Region 19 Council Manager (DuPage County), kicked the presentations off with a summary of findings from the county’s Early Childhood Mental & Behavioral Health Assessment completed in spring 2024. Key takeaways included:
Pervasive fear and mistrust among local families when seeking support.
General lack of understanding of what Early Childhood Mental Health means.
Limited access to mental and behavioral health services for children from birth to age five.
More support is needed for parents and caregivers, teachers, and Early Childhood providers.
Sarah Martinez, Senior Instructor from Erikson Institute, provided an overview of Early Childhood Mental Health, emphasizing the importance of healthy, positive relationships in a child’s development. Martinez explained how Early Childhood Mental Health is rooted in a child’s social and emotional development, allowing them to regulate their feelings, connect with others, and adapt to their surroundings.
Attendees also participated in small group discussions, identifying strategies and resources to strengthen the Early Childhood Mental Health system in DuPage County. Emergent themes included:
The importance of reducing stigma for families.
Expanding support for the workforce, including training and reflective supervision.
Better integration across health, early childhood, and community systems.
The need for stable funding, insurance reform, and policy advocacy.
Parent/child supports such as parenting education, peer groups, and culturally inclusive services.
To close out the event, attendees had the opportunity to explore an information fair featuring local resources and to network with professionals and community partners committed to advancing mental health support for children and families.
“This event was an important step in bringing together parents, providers, and community leaders to strengthen Early Childhood Mental Health supports in DuPage County,” said Valerie Varju. “By working collaboratively, we can build a flexible system that truly meets the needs of families with young children.”
Nina Menis, Executive Director of KidsMatter said, “We are thrilled by the turnout at this event. The number of attendees, the thoughtful engagement, the enthusiastic collaboration—it was inspiring to see so many people come together to deepen their understanding of the issues and work together to map out some solutions. We are eager for this progress to continue.”
Click here to view event photos.
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About Birth to Five Illinois
Birth to Five Illinois’ mission is to create a statewide regional infrastructure that will amplify input from communities in the development of policies and funding priorities. We support the mobilization of communities to build and sustain equitable access to inclusive, high-quality early childhood services for all children and families in the state of Illinois.
About the DuPage County Health Department
The DuPage County Health Department promotes health and well-being for the DuPage County community.
About KidsMatter
KidsMatter works to help young people build developmental assets including positive values, healthy relationships, and self-esteem.