Mental Health Support for Toddlers Has Lagged in Texas. That’s Now Changing
Lawmakers and child care centers are pushing for a statewide mental health system for toddlers.
It had only been a year since Estelle Sievert and her wife, Jane, joined the foster care program at SAFE Alliance in Austin when they were introduced to 3-week-old Noah in 2022. The couple immediately fell in love with their soon-to-be adopted son but knew the future might contain some challenges. The infant’s biological parent had a lifetime of severe mental illness compounded by years of using methamphetamines and PCP that went unaddressed, and studies...