Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

Texas Association for Infant Mental Health Receives Hogg Foundation Grant to Fund Children’s Mental Health Training for Houston Adults

August 3, 2011

Texas Association for Infant Mental Health

HOUSTON – The Texas Association for Infant Mental Health (TAIMH) has received one of four grants awarded in Houston to fund children’s mental health training programs for adults who work with children and youth in the Houston area but aren’t mental health professionals.

Through the grant, 60 child care workers in centers that primarily serve children of low-income families will receive 24 hours of training in infant and child development and behavior. TAIMH will provide the training with a $39,411 grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, while the Houston nonprofit Collaborative for Children will identify child care centers and make arrangements for the training classes.

TAIMH also will train 30 employees and biological and foster parents in Harris County’s Child Protective Services and Infant – Toddler Court. CPS staff and the court team members are degreed, but have limited knowledge of infant mental health, especially the social emotional needs of very young children. The training will contribute to their knowledge of babies’ developmental needs and lead to decisions that enhance the long-term well-being of infants and toddlers.

“Texas has some of the lowest training requirements for child care workers in the nation – eight hours of pre-service training and minimal ongoing education after that,” said Susan Craven, TAIMH executive director. “The child care workers participating in this training care for about 360 children a year and will certainly benefit by learning about infant and child behavior and development.”

The Hogg Foundation and St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities awarded the Ima Hogg Community Education Grants to pay for training for people who work with hundreds of children and youth of all ages, including those who live in Houston’s neediest neighborhoods. The training will enable participants to recognize the signs of mental illness in children, respond appropriately, and help families locate services in the community.

The grants are in honor of Miss Ima Hogg, a beloved and influential Houston philanthropist who supported mental health, music and the arts, education, and other causes in Houston and across Texas. In 1963 she directed the foundation to periodically fund children’s mental health training for adults in Houston and Harris County.

Other recipients include Boys and Girls Country of Houston, Inc., Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston – Houston and NAMI Metropolitan Houston and NAMI West Houston.

The Hogg Foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Texas Governor James S. Hogg, and is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. The foundation advances recovery and wellness in Texas by funding mental health services, policy analysis, research, and public education.

Through research-informed grantmaking to Texas nonprofits, St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities, a separate component of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System, improves community health and reduces health disparities. Our Center for Community-Based Research is dedicated to community-based participatory research practices that foster informed action, collaboration and empowerment for the medically underserved and other vulnerable populations.