GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Goal #1.-Develop and maintain a Title V online training consortium on Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health Issues in Infants and Young Children (birth-age 6) across all seven LEND program training sites in Regions V and VIII of the Department of Health and Human Services. Objective # 1.1-Management Team-By the end of the first month of year one, begin monthly videoconference meetings of the LENDlinks management team launching stage 1 of the project. Objective #1.2-Advisory Committee-By the end of the third month of year one, establish and begin quarterly videoconference meetings of the LENDlinks advisory committee. Objective #l.3-Outreach Plan-By the end of the sixth month of stage 1, develop an outreach plan that addresses how LENDlinks will target Title V audiences. Objective #1.4-Hub/Portal Website-By the end of the eighth month of year one, establish a hub/portal/ website at Riley Child Development Center (RCDC) to support the delivery of LENDlinks curriculum content. Objective # 1.5-Develop Standards-By the end of the eighth month of year one, develop standards for acquisition, dissemination, and maintenance of curriculum resources for LENDlinks videoconferences and distance learning modules. Objective # 1.6-Conduct Formative Evaluation-By the end of the twelfth month of year one, conduct a formative evaluation of Stage 1 implementation of LENDlinks using survey tool to measure satisfaction with LENDlinks website. Goal #2-IP Videoconferencing. Explore, develop and conduct innovative, interactive, Internet Protocol (IP) real time videoconferencing to develop curriculum for continuing education modules and activities on Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health issues in infants and young children (birth-age 6). Objective #2.1-Conduct videoconference meetings of the management team. Objective #2.2-Conduct videoconference meetings of the advisory committee. Objective #2.3- Develop and conduct five continuing education videoconferences. Goal #3- Distance Learning Modules-Utilize the latest distance learning technology formats of DVD, CD-ROM’s, web-based online learning and Internet Protocol (IP) real time interactive videoconferencing to refine, package and deliver CE distance learning modules on Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health issues in infants and young children (birth-age 6) for LEND programs, state Title V and related health professionals in Regions V and VIII of the Department of Health and Human Services. Objective #3.1-Develop and disseminate five continuing education distance learning modules in online and CD-ROM/DVD formats. Objective #3.2-Conduct a summative evaluation of the online DL consortium, the videoconferences and the distance learning modules.

METHODOLOGY
LENDlinks will use Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health guidelines as the primary reference in the refinement and development of its curriculum, videoconferences and distance learning modules to have the participants achieve the following competencies:• Understand the essentials of mental health promotion, including monitoring psychosocial development; providing anticipatory guidance; preventing and identifying early emotional, behavioral, and disorders; and providing appropriate counseling, management, referral, and follow-up• Identify the support that infants and children need for good mental health• Advocate for mental health promotion programs and policies for infants and toddlers. A hub/portal website at RCDC will host the consortium discussion boards, curriculum/resource exchange, online continuing education modules, focus and task group posted communications LENDlinks will hold monthly management team meetings via videoconference with RCDC and ULEND in Utah. Quarterly advisory committee meetings will be held via videoconference to all seven sites. Five content videoconferences will be broadcast to state Title V and related health professionals. Five distance learning modules will be developed, packaged in CD-ROM/DVD formats and distributed to state Title V and related health professionals.

COORDINATION
LENDlinks is a collaborative online distance learning consortium with all seven LEND sites in Regions V and VIII in partnership with the state Title V and related agencies in those regions for DL continuing education.

EVALUATION
LENDlinks will have formative and summative evaluation components for both the process and outcome activities of the online consortium website the videoconferences and the DL modules. The process evaluation criteria will focus on the implementation of LENDlinks, stages 1-3 and the outcome evaluation criteria will focus on the CE participants, i.e., knowledge gained and applied in practice.

ANNOTATION
The purpose of LENDlinks-Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) links is to develop a LEND and state Title V training consortium to create and distribute five videoconferences and five distance learning modules on Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health Issues in Infants and Young Children (birth-age 6) and which will be delivered within Regions V and VIII of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The project will deliver continuing education to state Title V personnel and related professionals in rural, underserved areas using the latest digital technologies of the Internet worldwide web, IP videoconferencing and multimedia CD-Rom/DVDs. The evaluation will use process criteria to assess implementation of LENDlinks and the impact/outcomes of the distance learning activities will be assessed by measuring the knowledge gain and practice applications.

KEYWORDS
Distance education, consortia, continuing education, online systems, teleconferences, leadership training, Title V programs, University Affiliated Programs, health professionals, early intervention, mental health, attachment, bonding, depression, emotional disorders, child with special health needs, developmental disabilities, behavior disorders.