OpEd: Child Development – L.A.’s Hidden Crisis

When Los Angeles faces crisis, we respond fast.

Wildfires, earthquakes, economic downturns – we mobilize resources, analyze risks and make strategic decisions to protect what matters most. Today, I am asking you to apply that same urgency to a quieter crisis that is unfolding right now, threatening not just individual children, but the very foundation of our future workforce and economic stability.

The numbers are stark: one in six children in America has a developmental delay or disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In Los Angeles County alone, this translates to hundreds of thousands of young children whose potential remains untapped. Yet only 17% of children who need developmental support actually receive it, as reported by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is not just a social services issue. It is an economic imperative that demands immediate business community engagement.

During my 25 years as a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in infant mental health and child development, I have witnessed firsthand how early intervention can transform trajectories. As chief executive of the Child Development Institute, a nonprofit serving approximately 25,000 families annually in L.A. County, I have also seen the devastating consequences when we fail to act.

The Covid-19 pandemic did not just disrupt supply chains and workforce dynamics. It disrupted millions of children’s developmental progress. Children missed essential screenings and early learning experiences. These delays are now showing up in real time in our kindergarten classrooms, with teachers reporting unprecedented levels of emotional dysregulation, attention challenges and behavioral struggles.

Dr. Howard Reinstein, a pediatrician with academic appointments at both UCLA and USC, explains the long-term implications: “There are life events that have extreme negative consequences for children. We call these ACEs or adverse childhood experiences. They can be physical, emotional, financial or social. Examples would be abuse, loss of a parent or parents, unstable housing, food shortage, social isolation and more. These can impact the child’s well-being and extend into problems in adulthood. At times they may impact the child’s actual genetic makeup and the trauma may be passed on to future generations.”

For business leaders who speak the language of data, consider these alarming statistics: 40% of parents worry about their child’s development but do not know where to turn, according to the Journal of Infants and Young Children. Only 30.1% of California’s babies and toddlers receive developmental screening, as reported by Zero to Three. And research consistently shows that 90% of brain development occurs before age 5.

These gaps in early identification and intervention create a cascading effect that ultimately impacts your talent pipeline, health care costs, criminal justice expenditures and overall economic productivity. Nobel Laureate James Heckman’s research demonstrates that every dollar invested in early childhood intervention yields a return of $7 to $13 through reduced special education, welfare and criminal justice costs, as well as increased productivity. This is not about charity. It is about shared responsibility and long-term impact.

Children who struggle with regulation and learning in their early years are more likely to need special education services, encounter the juvenile justice system and face poor health and economic outcomes throughout their lives. Without early support, the pathway from preschool to prison becomes tragically predictable for children from marginalized communities.

Consider the alternative: children who receive quality early childhood support are more likely to graduate high school, attend college, earn higher wages and contribute meaningfully to the economy.

At CDI, we have spent three decades proving that comprehensive early childhood support works. Our programs include free, play-based early learning centers where children develop through joy and exploration while parents build confidence and community. We provide developmental screenings that are often the first and only access families have to early identification services. We offer trauma-informed, culturally sensitive therapeutic and mental health services, family education programs that build resilience and strengthen parenting skills, and professional training that creates a trauma-informed, anti-bias early childhood workforce. We also lead systems advocacy that shapes policy and builds cross-sector collaboration.

Our holistic approach supports families before they reach crisis, preventing future suffering while building lasting community resilience. But we cannot do this work alone. The private sector has unique assets that are essential to solving this crisis. Financial capital allows direct investment in early childhood programs that generate measurable returns while creating positive brand association and employee engagement opportunities. Human capital brings volunteer programs that strengthen both employees and communities. Social capital gives business leaders the convening power to bring stakeholders together and influence policy decisions. Innovation can scale interventions and improve service delivery.

Children do not stop developing when the world is in crisis. They develop through it. And they are watching how we respond. Families facing economic hardship, housing instability and social isolation are falling deeper into circumstances that threaten their children’s development. Every day we delay action, more children fall behind and the eventual cost to our community multiplies.

The real question is not “Can we afford to invest in early childhood?” It is “Can we afford not to?” The strongest foundations require the most careful attention. Our youngest children are that foundation. If we are serious about building a stronger, more equitable Los Angeles, that has to change.

I am not asking for charity. I am proposing a strategic partnership that strengthens our entire community while generating measurable returns. By investing in early childhood development, you are investing in your future workforce, your customer base, and the economic vitality of L.A. County.

Tessa Graham is chief executive of Child Development Institute, a child development nonprofit based in Reseda.