Children's Institute, Inc.: Project ABC

Project ABC

About Building Connections for young children and their families

Because even very young children who have mental health needs require help if they are to thrive, CII pioneered Project ABC. This unprecedented program provides comprehensive mental health services for young children (from birth to age five) and their families.

Project ABC serves children who:

• have demonstrated serious emotional or behavioral problems
• are currently in the child welfare system or are at risk of entering it, and
• live in underserved areas of Los Angeles County.

Project ABC works with children who are just beginning to show signs of difficulties. Early intervention, research shows, can prevent more severe mental health problems down the road. And by emphasizing the central role relationships play during early childhood, CII’s helps reinforce these vital connections. Families act as full partners in their child’s path to recovery and wellbeing.

Project ABC coordinates access to multilingual community resources (childcare services, parenting education, substance abuse counseling, job development, health services and more) while educating healthcare providers, policymakers and others about the need for early childhood mental health services.

For more information, visit www.projectabc-la.com.

Project ABC is a collaboration between the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Children’s Institute, Inc., the University of Southern California’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and the USC School of Social Work. Project ABC is supported through funding from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

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