Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health
- College for Education and Engaged Learning
The Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health (CAECMH) within the College for Education and Engaged Learning at Montclair State University provides support and services to families, professional development to in-service professionals, and coursework for students in the broad areas of early relational health and developmental education. CAECMH also promotes the connection and collaboration of the state systems and community organizations that support the well being of families. Find out more about our work here:
Who We Are
Established in September 2011, CAECMH is a self-sustaining community-facing Center of the College of Education and Engaged Learning. Our services take place in every county of the state, and on the campus of Montclair State University. Our personnel have also established national and international profiles and are sought after for their expertise in our fields of study.
Our work is informed by the multidisciplinary sciences, including the fields of infant and early childhood mental health, early relational health, maternal-infant health, developmental approaches to autism services, and inclusive education practices. We are rooted in the knowledge that our earliest relationships are critical for healthy development.
CAECMH is a proud member of the College of Education and Engaged Learning and the CEEL Center Consortium.
Our Structure
CAECMH has four branches of service supported by a strong trunk of robust practices that sustain our expert personnel and thriving business.
Our History
The Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health (CAECMH) at Montclair State University opened in September 2011 under the leadership of our founding Director, Dr. Gerard Costa, as a thought-leading center focused on professional formation and development, academic education and research, and clinical and family support services around the issues of infant and early childhood mental health and developmental differences and disabilities.
Since our founding, CAECMH has:
- earned over $40 Million in revenue from grants, contracts, fees, tuition, and gifts,
- established the first community outpatient mental health clinic at Montclair State University, serving expectant families, and families of infants and young children
- certified as a training site for the Brazelton Touchpoints Approach, Newborn Behavioral Observation, Lamaze International, DC: 0-5, and a licensed Self-reg Center
- served as the operational home of the New Jersey Pyramid Model State Leadership Team
- created the original curriculum, Keeping Babies and Children in Mind: Professional Formation Series in Early Relational Health that has raised the floor of knowledge in infant and early childhood mental health and early relational health in New Jersey for over 10 years
- implemented the state’s first infant and early childhood mental health consultation program
- designed the state’s first preschool inclusive education systemic change protocol
- served as the first NJ Department of Health as the New Jersey Autism Center of Excellence Coordinating Center, through which we supported 25 clinical research projects and five autism medical homes
Contact Us!
Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health Center
The Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health (CAECMH) within the College for Education and Engaged Learning at Montclair State University provides support and services to families, professional development to in-service professionals, and coursework for students in the broad areas of early relational health and developmental education. CAECMH also promotes the connection and collaboration of the state systems and community organizations that support the well being of families. Find out more about our work here:
- Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health
- caecmh@montclair.edu
- 973-655-6685