Children Now: Safeguard Early Childhood Mental Health – Our Littlest Californians Need Your Support!

Isolation, economic stress, and community trauma – all of which have been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic – are proven to negatively impact a child’s ability to thrive. And while the mental health emergency facing youth today is garnering a lot of attention, our littlest Californians are too often left out of the conversation: young children under age 5 can — and do — struggle with their mental health.

The State’s recent investment of more than $4 billion for the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) is a strong down payment on the health and well-being of California’s children and youth. However, without a clear plan or dedicated funding, CYBHI will miss serving the critical needs of infants and toddlers.

We have an opportunity now to take advantage of this moment, one that has the potential to be pivotal in the state’s landscape of early childhood mental health, and ensure that California does right by its youngest constituents.

Please sign on to this letter urging state leaders to prioritize the mental health of children under age 5 by making a one-time investment of $250 million in the 2022-23 State Budget. By doing so, we can increase infant and early childhood mental health services and provider training so that all that young children across California have what they need to thrive.