The U.S. mental health crisis is real. However, so is our opportunity to meet it. As Congress races to fund the government ahead of the holidays, it is imperative that it does not forget our nation’s youth.

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 40% of high school students reported persistently poor mental health, with 20% seriously considering suicide. Half of all mental health patients experience their first symptoms by age 14, and three-quarters by age 25. Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance use disorders, attention disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorders often begin in childhood.