

The Perigee Fund partners with the AAP to improve patient care and health outcomes for early mental health given that:
- 1 in 7 women experience perinatal depression and more than 75% receive no treatment.
- 1 in 7 children ages 3-17 experience diagnosable mental health conditions.
- Rapid brain development (90%) occurs from prenatal to five-years of age.
- Each dollar invested in infant and early childhood mental health programs returns $3.64 in prevented treatments later.
The AAP and Perigee fund work together on shared goals to:
- Build pediatrician capacity to integrate infant and early childhood mental health into primary care;
- Elevate the national discourse on perinatal, infant, and early childhood mental health; and
- Lift up and integrate diverse family experiences into AAP infant and early childhood mental health resources, education, and pediatrician training.
Together, we have completed an Infant and Early Childhood ECHO Series, pilot testing of a Resident Perinatal Depression Curriculum, Perinatal Mental Health Learning Community, Infant and Early Childhood PediaLink course, brief interventions for common concerns videos, early relational health patient care pages on aap.org, and blogs and conference presentations.
AAP policy statements and technical and clinical reports
This partnership and implementation builds on the following AAP policy statements and technical and clinical reports
Preventing Childhood Toxic Stress: Partnering With Families and Communities to Promote Relational Health
Discover effective strategies for preventing childhood toxic stress by partnering with families and communities.
Pediatrics
|August 1, 2021
Incorporating Recognition and Management of Perinatal Depression Into Pediatric Practice Policy Statement
Explore essential strategies for recognizing and managing pediatric hypertension in this comprehensive article from Pediatrics.
Pediatrics
|January 1, 2019
Incorporating Recognition and Management of Perinatal Depression Into Pediatric Practice Technical Report
Learn effective approaches to identify and manage hypertension in children.
Pediatrics
|January 1, 2019
Promoting Optimal Development: Screening for Behavioral and Emotional Problems Clinical Report
View key insights on the recognition and management of pediatric hypertension.
Pediatrics
|February 1, 2015
Last Updated
04/30/2025
Source
American Academy of Pediatrics