Research Brief: Social-Emotional Development in Early Childhood, What Every Policymaker Should Know

Last month the National Center for Children in Poverty released a research brief outlining several ways in which the mental health services available to American parents and children 0-5 in poverty are staggeringly inadequate in relation to the need. The brief, Social-Emotional Development in Early Childhood: What Every Policymaker Should Know, clearly spells out the argument that children's mental health needs demand more attention.

Statistics cited under these topics were disturbing. For example, between 80 and 97 percent of children ages 3 to 5 with identified behavioral health needs do not receive services. Also, in early care and learning settings, African American young children are between three and five times more likely to be expelled than their peers.

The report also spotlights how parents' mental health effects their children, finding that youngsters with mentally-ill parents are more likely to develop social-emotional challenges themselves, and that more than two thirds of adults with mental illness are parents.

The report makes several recommendations to policymakers on how to close gaps, and how parents and children can be better supported. Suggestions include:

• Promote and fund the use of developmentally appropriate screenings and assessments for very young children.

• Establish and put into practice policies to identify parents with mental illness who have young children, and provide parenting supports and treatment as needed.

• Ensure that home visiting programs address the needs of children and their families with social-emotional and behavioral problems.

First 5 LA supports early developmental screenings through our Early Developmental Screening Initiative, and continues to support home visiting through Best Start LA. Click here to access the brief Social-Emotional Development in Early Childhood: What Every Policymaker Should Know.

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