State Rules Steal Big Gift from Kids

Dec 19, 2025

The Gift of Strong Minds, Bright Futures

While we’re in the gift-giving season, Children First wants to give a special present to every child – good mental health. That may sound like a cliché until you learn that current state rules block families from mental health care.

For example, “Sue,” an Indiana County mom, told us that her health insurance prevented her daughter from seeing a therapist for so long that her daughter ended up being hospitalized. THEN the insurance kicked in.So much unnecessary anguish that Sue and her daughter suffered at the hands of state policy rules.

Many kids need help to get through stressful situations early on before unhealthy responses become unhealthy patterns, like Axel, a Philadelphia elementary school student who was feeling scared in his home because of seeing people using drugs and blood on his sidewalk more than once.

“One thing that helped me is the counselors and therapists at my school, like Ms. Ariel. Ms. Ariel helps me breathe…and calm down. She would talk with me once a week when I was in third grade. I used to get in fights, and once I was even suspended for three days for a big fight. I would like to keep meeting with Ms. Ariel, and I think all kids should have access to therapy in their schools if they need help with therapy.”

Because Axel’s school had local funding to hire counselors and therapists, he got the kind of care he needed when he needed it. His negative behavior didn’t escalate, he found trusted adults to lean on, and he learned early in his life how to manage his emotions even when he can’t control his environment.

That’s why we’re pushing for changes to state rules to make it possible for thousands and thousands of PA children and teens to have an experience like Axel’s, not Sue’s daughter. At Children First, we’re working on that every day.

But we can’t accomplish this on our own, which is why we launched the Strong Minds, Bright Futures partnership this year. Strong Minds, Bright Futures is a statewide coalition with more than 100 groups from nearly every county working together to change policy and make sure prevention and early support are available to every child.

But we also need your help! In order for us to continue this vitally important work, please support Children First by making a donation today. Your contribution will make it possible for more children and teens to get timely mental health support, making it a gift that will continue long beyond Christmas day and throughout children’s lives. Please, donate now.

You’re invited to join “Public Policy Unpacked,” a live state budget webinar from The Urban League of Greater Philadelphia at 1pm on Monday.

In many states, children are routinely taken from their parents and put into foster care on the spot, without a court hearing. Parents have to wait days or weeks to be able to respond to the allegations days or weeks later, while their child waits in a temporary foster home.

Rob Reiner will always be remembered for his work in TV and film, but did you know he was an avid supporter of early childhood education?

Reiner was a major leader in passing a California cigarette tax in 1998 to fund education and support for families with young children, and he continued as a stalwart early childhood advocate. His efforts changed the lives of millions of California children for the better – may his memory be a blessing.

Getting the COVID vaccine keeps young kids
healthy – and out of the emergency room.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reported that COVID vaccines
reduced the risk of ER visits by 76% in kids
under age 4 and by 56% in older kids. The
vaccine helped prevent more severe
symptoms that could lead families to the ER.