- Wisconsin is facing a mental health crisis, particularly among young children.
- Many young children in Wisconsin who need mental health treatment are not receiving it.
- Early childhood education providers need more support and resources to address children’s mental health needs.
- Investing in infant and early childhood mental health programs is crucial for the well-being of Wisconsin’s children and will save money in the long run.
Wisconsin is facing a mental health crisis in epidemic proportion, and our youngest children are at significant risk. The first 1,000 days of a child’s life holds incredible potential and is marked by unparalleled brain development. It is also a time of greatest vulnerability.
Young children rely on nurturing relationships with their parents, early careeducators and other professionals who support them to develop the capacity to manage emotions, build healthy social skills and explore their environments. Our children often deal with life stressors and challenges by acting out, which, when left unaddressed, can continue into middle and high school.
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Often times children who are managing these challenges are labeled as defiant, “naughty” or overly clingy when in reality they are using behaviors to let us know that they need our help; and it is up to us to recognize these early warning signs. Young children, ages 0-5, need sensitive and responsive caregivers to reach their potential and develop into contributing members of our society.
Many children who need help not getting treatment
To highlight the current landscape, a May 2023 publication by the Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University indicated that 60% of early childhood education professionals reported observing increases in young children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors. The report also found that 45% of early childhood education professionals reported experiencing depression. Data released by the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health at the annual briefing in January of 2025 indicated that 49% of children with mental conditions, age three and up, didn’t receive treatment.
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Wisconsin must do better.
Equipping our babies, toddlers and preschoolers to become caring and productive adults requires investment in supporting their caregivers. However, caregivers — child care providers, teachers, foster parents, might not have the resources they need to help.
Incorporating proven frameworks and interventions that focus on social and emotional skill building in early care and education settings improves outcomes for all young children. Providing professional development and credentialing for family serving professionals through Mental Health Endorsements enhances their ability to serve young children and families.
Early childhood education providers require assistance
Unfortunately, the Children’s Equity Project reports, on average only 2-5% of early childhood education professionals are in contact with a mental health consultant on a regular basis. And yet, access to mental health consultation is connected to a number of positive outcomes for children and adults who take care of them. Specifically, access to mental health consultants is linked to increased sense of self-efficacy in early childhood education. Additionally, teachers who have access to ongoing mental health consultation are about half as likely to report expelling a preschooler as teachers without such support.
In January 2023, the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health was awarded funding from Wisconsin’s Department of Children and Families with the goals to develop and administer a statewide Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation System. From this grant, Wisconsin’s state-wide mental health consultation program, Healthy Minds Healthy Children, was born.
The consultation system is a prevention-based approach that pairs a mental health consultant with other adults who provide care and support for infants and young children. The funding for the program ended on July 1. During this short period of time, Healthy Minds Healthy Children impacted over 2,000 children in early care and education settings and early childhood education providers reported feeling supported, experiencing less stress and increased ability to handle challenging situations.
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Continuing to support Healthy Minds Healthy Children would allow child and family service professionals to connect with experienced mental health specialists and credentialed infant mental health professionals. These resources empower professionals to more readily and confidently identify and intervene in instances when children’s behaviors become a challenge for adults. By providing our child and family service professionals, across all disciplines, with the tools and resources they need to support the effective social and emotional growth of Wisconsin’s children, we can help our youngest children feel safe, supported, and better prepared to successfully handle stressful situations as they grow.
The Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health is thrilled and hopeful that Gov. Tony Evers named 2025 “The Year of the Kid” and promised significant allocations to childcare and school-based mental health. Let’s not ignore the unique needs of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. It is time to ensure that our foundation is strong and secure by prioritizing funding for our infants, young children and those who support them. Mental health begins at birth. An investment of $6.2 million annually would make it possible to support multiple programs aimed at ensuring a strong foundation of life-long mental health.
Without this commitment, we may set our most vulnerable children on a painful path in life, costing far more in the long run. We ask and encourage all adults to speak up for babies, as they can’t do so for themselves.
Lana Shklyar Nenide is executive director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health. Golshan Motamedi and Kris Barnekow from the alliance contributed to this op-ed.
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