Hundreds of children are counting on you to share their stories and raise awareness about the importance of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. Children’s mental health has long been an area of concern and opportunity.

Now, compounded by the pandemic, we anticipate the demand for our services to continue increasing. Emerging studies suggest a troubling increase in depressive symptoms and anxiety in children because of coronavirus-related lockdowns and quarantine (Kluger, 2020).

• There is a critical need for early childhood mental health services in Utah. National research shows Utah is among a group of states with the highest prevalence of child and adolescent mental health disorders and the highest prevalence of youth with untreated mental health needs.
• Early Intervention improves children’s current and future health, as well as reduces future use of services and treatment; research shows a link between unmet mental health needs in a child’s earliest years and their lifetime outcomes. National cost estimates of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among youth amount to $247 billion per year in mental health and health services, lost productivity, and crime.
• Data indicate certain areas in Utah may have a higher need for early childhood mental health services based on various risk factors. Additionally, children from racial and ethnic minority populations frequently face a disproportionate likelihood of experiencing these risks.
• Based on a range of estimates from national studies, 10-20% of Utah’s 458,000 children between the ages of 0-8 could experience mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral challenges.

Media Kit

• The Children’s Center Utah Logo 
• About The Children’s Center Utah
• Photo Assets The Children's Center Utah
• Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute Early Childhood Mental Health in Utah full report