- Yes, an estimated 10-16% of young children experienced mental health difficulties
This rises to 22% for infants and children living in poverty. Two million infants and toddlers in United States live in poverty. - As early experiences shape the architecture of the developing brain, they also lay the foundations of sound mental health. Disruptions to this developmental process can impair a child’s capacities for learning and relating to others — with lifelong implications. By improving children’s environments of relationships and experiences early in life, society can address many costly problems, including incarceration, homelessness, and the failure to complete high school.
- Read InBrief: Early Childhood Mental Health, Center on the Developing Child – Harvard University
