As vital programs like Medicaid, Head Start/Early Head Start, SNAP/CalFresh, WIC, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and several others face budget cuts and potential funding loss, it can’t be overstated how important it is to fund programs that support children and parents to support future generations. Parents are already facing a stress epidemic whether due to financial factors, time demands, concerns over children’s health and safety, parent isolation and loneliness, or cultural pressures.

When a person is in a prolonged state of stress, it can have serious health effects and, for parents, that stress can affect the health of their children even during pregnancy.

“41% of parents say that most days they are so stressed they cannot function and 48% say that most days their stress is completely overwhelming compared to other adults,” according to the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s advisory titled: Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents. Murthy calls attention to the overwhelming stress parents are facing and how the mental health of parents can have an impact on children, families, and society.

The advisory points to the disproportionate burdens of stress on parents and caregivers with “fewer resources and those who experience economic, social, political, and cultural marginalization.” Families experiencing financial stressors, be it food insecurity; healthcare, childcare, and education costs; ability to provide basic needs; and housing costs contribute to heightened stress along with social isolation and lack of social support. Stressors impact the mental health of parents, which, in turn, can influence the “emotional climate, responsiveness, and consistency of caregiving at home,” all of which impact the health and well-being of their children, this comes at a time where we are seeing children in California potentially lose their healthcare coverage. According to the data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), 56% of children in California are enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP. Medicaid insures children in low-income families and nearly all children in foster care and is the largest source of federal funding for mental health services – supporting mental and behavioral health treatment for children, adolescents, and adults.

“One study found that children of a primary caregiver who reported poor mental health were four times more likely to have poor general health and two time more likely to have mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders,” according to the Surgeon General’s Advisory. The less stressors that weigh on a parent the more time and attention they can devote to their child. The more support a parent has, the more benefits to the child by allowing the parent to meet their needs and raise healthy, educated, and fulfilled children, ultimately benefitting society as a whole making raising children a collective responsibility and the well-being of parents a public health priority.

Programs that address these stressors are in danger of losing funding. Local organizations such as First 5 San Diego, the American Academy of Pediatrics, California Chapter 3 (AAP-CA3), 211 San Diego, Maternity Housing Program and more offer programs that address many of the stress factors identified by the Surgeon General’s Advisory. Through the First 5 First Steps program, First 5 San Diego and AAP-CA3 offer support to parents that promote positive parent-child interactions where home visitors work hand-in-hand with parents in person and one-on-one. This program is partially funded by CalWORKS, which saw cuts in 2024.

Investment in Medicaid/Medi-Cal, CalWORKS, Head Start/Early Head Start, SNAP, WIC, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and others is a long-term investment in our children. The solution proposed by the Surgeon General’s Advisory included, but were not limited to: 1. Expanding funding for programs that support parents and caregivers, 2. Addresss the economic and social barriers such as improving access to healthy food, affordable housing and support access to TANF, CHIP, Medicaid/MediCal, SNAP/CalFresh, WIC and home visiting programs, which is exactly what First 5 San Diego and AAP-CA3 provide. These programs and services are crucial in supporting parents and investing in our children as a long-term way to invest in our society. Cuts to vital services and programs is not how we address the already detrimental epidemic of parental stress.