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From early in life, children's brains develop rapidly. Tending to their minds and emotional needs is key to their growth.
Each child brings the promise of a more secure, thriving, and supportive future for Texas. But we as a state first must prioritize the developmental, cognitive, and mental health of children. From early in life, children need nurturing care and stability to ensure their minds develop and grow properly. Those with disabilities or behavioral challenges need extra support from adults and sometimes treatment so they can reach their potential.
What Texas can do and why it matters:
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Ensure children who need mental health services can get them.
Among Texas children with a diagnosed mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, or mental health condition that puts them at risk of removal from their home or school, fewer than 1 in 5 actually receives the treatment he or she qualifies for. A driving factor: Texas ranks second to last in the country in per capita investments in mental health.
- See that children have quality early care.
Critical social and emotional development—and 85% of the brain's lifetime growth –occurs in the first years of life. Yet Texas is one of only five states to be rated "failing” for the quality of its public preschools, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.
More:
Sign up to Receive our Child Mental Wellbeing Action Alerts
Join our Texas Children's Mental Health Forum
See Child Mental Wellbeing Blog Posts
Check out our Recommended Reading on Child Mental Wellbeing
Learn about Texas Laws on Child Mental Wellbeing from our Legislative Recaps
See our past Testimony on Child Mental Wellbeing
Review the Texas Legislature's Interim Charges to Study Child Mental Wellbeing
Become a member and allocate your gift to our Child Mental Wellbeing Promise Fund
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