Infant Mental Health

Supporting Emotional Wellbeing from the Start: Our New Infant Mental Health Policy

At Hopscotch Children’s Nurseries, we believe that mental health begins at birth — and that the first 1,001 days of a child’s life lay the foundation for all future development. That’s why, to mark Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, we’re proud to launch our new Infant Mental Health Policy, developed in partnership with the brilliant team at BrightPIP.

Why We’ve Written This Policy

We’ve written this policy to clearly communicate our approach to supporting emotional wellbeing across all Hopscotch settings. It is for everyone: our staff teams, our families, our professional partners — and most importantly, for the babies and toddlers we care for every day.

Our Approach: Relationships First

Our policy outlines how we:

• Foster secure, loving relationships between children and their key people

• Create emotionally attuned environments that are calm, safe, and responsive

• Support co-regulation and emotional literacy from the very start

• Work closely with families to provide consistent, supportive care

• Identify concerns early and work with trusted partners to offer the right support

It reflects our deep commitment to nurturing not just the body, but the mind and heart of every child — especially during the critical early years when foundations for mental health are laid.

Working with BrightPIP

This policy has been developed in collaboration with BrightPIP, a local charity dedicated to supporting parent-infant mental health. Their expertise in attachment theory, early intervention and therapeutic support has helped us shape a policy that is both informed and practical — rooted in what babies and their caregivers really need to thrive.

Together, we aim to raise awareness about infant mental health and encourage open conversations that support positive change, both within our nurseries and across the early years sector.

Read the Full Policy

The full Infant Mental Health Policy is now available here on our website. We encourage families, practitioners and partners to read it, reflect on it, and join us in championing the emotional wellbeing of our youngest children.

? Read the policy here:
? https://www.hopscotch.uk.com/infant-mental-health

Let’s give every child the emotionally secure start they deserve.