Blue Ribbon Policy Council for Early
Childhood Mental Health

Healthy Minds, Strong Futures Policy Toolkit

Toolkit Sections:

BRPC Toolkit Home

Colorado Opportunities

  • House Bill 1451
  • Mental Health Special Tax Districts

Key Messages

  • Invest in young children's social and
    environmental development
  • Mental health is fundamental to the overal
    l health and well-being of young children

Resources

Other Tips

  • In the community
  • In the classroom
  • At colleges and universities
  • In faith communities
  • Creating and presenting organized and
    compelling speeches
  • Creating powerful data presentations
  • Overcoming stage fright

About the Blue Ribbon Policy Council

  • Members

Quick Facts: Colorado Data

Did you know?

Mental/Emotional/Social Issues

  • In 2005, over 21% of parents of children age 6 and under reported that they were concerned about their child's emotions, concentration, behavior, or ability to get along with others. Of these parents, 79% have never accessed counseling ot treatment (2005 Colorado Child Health Survey, Health Statistics Section, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment).
  • Nearly 11% of children and adolescents experience a diagnosable mental health condition that causes significant functional impairment. In Colorado, children and adolescents make up only one quarter of the state's population, but experience more than one-third of the severe mental health needs (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999, and Colorado Mental Health Funders Collaborative, 2003).

Early Care and Education Settings

  • One in six Colorado children under age nine has emotional and behavioral problems serious enough to disrupt classrooms (Gould, 2000).
  • According to a 2006 study, 456 children under the age of 6 were removed from an early care and education setting for challenging behavior. This means 10 in every 1,000 children are removed. This rate is 3 times higher the rate of expulsion in Colorado's K-12 school system (Children with Challenging Behaviors: A Survey of Licensed Early Care and Education Settings in Colorado, Hoover , S., 2006).
  • According to that same study, there are 5,086 children under the age of six who are reported as having challenging behaviors (Children with Challenging Behaviors: A Survey of Licensed Early Care and Education Settings in Colorado, 2006).
  • There is a significant relationship between access to mental health consultation and removals from early care and education settings. Children under the age of 6 are less likely to be removed from these settings because of challenging behaviors when staff reported having access to clinical expertise in mental health and/or behavioral interventions (Children with Challenging Behaviors: A Survey of Licensed Early Care and Education Settings in Colorado, 2006).
  • Over half of the licensed early care and education providers surveyed in 2005 reported that challenging behaviors in young children are not getting better. And, at least 20% feel challenging behaviors are increasing in occurrence and severity (Children with Challenging Behaviors: A Survey of Licensed Early Care and Education Settings in Colorado, 2006).
  • Failure to start school ready to learn has negative consequences for the child and society. Students who start out behind are more likely to stay behind, and eventually drop out of school; get in trouble with the law; and have emotional difficulties (Colorado School Readiness Indicators, 2005).
  • Colorado Kindergarten teachers reported that at least one third of children come to school unprepared to learn (Qualistar and the Colorado Children's Campaign, 2002).

COST

  • Estimates of the extent of emotional and behavioral problems in young children range from between 5 and 24%. The 1999 estimated population of Colorado children less than 8 years of age is 533,959. If only 10% of them had emotional and behavioral problems, 53,396 would be at risk of negative outcomes and costly public involvement (Gould, 2000).
  • 1 year of early intervention costs $987 versus
    • 1 month of foster care which costs $1,200
    • 2 days of psychiatric hospitalization costs $1,020
    • 14 days in juvenile detention costs $1,820 (Gould, 2000).

     

  • There is no way to predict the life course of young children with social, emotional and behavioral issues. But $390,212 could be offset if just:
    • 11 children avoided one year of special education ($5,693 x 11 = $62,623)
    • 10 children avoided the average 6 mos. Stay in foster care ($7,200 x 10 = $72,000)
    • 4 children avoided the average 63 day stay in a psychiatric hospital ($32,130 x 4 = $128,520)
    • 2 children avoided the average 15.6 month commitment for delinquency ($58,500 x 2 = $117,000)
    • 1 family avoided TANF for 20 months ($10,120 x 1 = $10,120) (Gould, 2000).

     

  • The Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) saved school districts statewide almost $23 million over five years in special education costs by serving 1,300 "at-risk" children. If CPP were available to all eligible children statewide, Colorado would receive an estimated $101 million net return (The Economic Impact of Child Care in Colorado, Colorado Children's Campaign, 2004).

 

 

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