Blog

At the end of my presentations and lessons on ACEs I end with the following statement, "I understand that the data-driven and cross-sector prevention of ACEs and childhood trauma sounds daunting. To keep it simple, I recommend three actions." 1: Read. Our non-profit collective published and made free to the public Anna, Age Eight: The data-driven prevention of childhood trauma and maltreatment. Find a few quiet hours to read the ten chapters. You will discover that it provides a...

Alice is a knowledgeable and caring provider in the Head Start program in Ohio, helping families maneuver their way out of poverty by providing a "head start" for their children and guidance for the caregivers in those children's lives.

Albuquerque, New Mexico has a population of approximately 560,000 people. This means that about a quarter of the population—140,000 children, women and men—have endured or will endure three or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). What makes the headlines in the news is just the tip of the iceberg. Our kids live in homes where there is abuse, neglect and all forms of traumatizing adult behaviors and most of these families will never meet someone from child welfare. Our third graders...

Hello - I am excited to share about the Health Starts at Home initiative FamilyCare Health Centers in Charleston, WV, has undertaken. We have began screening pre-natal and pediatric patients at three of our health centers and will be adding two school-based health clinics to that number in November. Patients or caregivers who score a four or higher are offered a referral to our community resource specialist who provides additional education about toxic stress and protective factors and...

Most ACEs Connection members know we’re nearly 25,000 strong...and growing! Some are surprised to learn we host more than 160 communities . The ACEs Connection home page is just a glimpse of what is going on worldwide in the ACEs movement to help prevent and heal childhood trauma, and build resilience. Behind this home page, there are more than 160 communities where thousands of people work to advance trauma-informed and resilience-building practices in their own geographic- and/or...

On July 19 th , 2018 an amphibious vehicle, known as a duck boat, encountered a thunderstorm during a sightseeing tour on Table Rock Lake, near Branson Missouri. The boat sank, killing 31 passengers. For many of us, the event was only a blip on our radar. However, the families involved are left with ongoing emotional and family trauma that could take years, and possibly generations, to heal. Though every family on that fateful duck boat voyage suffered trauma and loss, two families represent...

Learning to live in the moment is a special gift of a healthy childhood. That’s ideally when we discover simple pleasures like playing with crayons, learning to ride a bicycle, and making friends. We also start to realize that in healthy secure relationships, parents are there for their children. But sometimes, terrible things happen that twist happiness into something horrible. A parent’s rage, a bully’s ridicule, bouts of depression or waves of loneliness can shatter a moment’s joy to...

Steve Sparks , Author, Blogger, Community Building Consultant, Mental Health Advocate… Hello again dear friends and followers, It has been awhile since I have written a blog post, one from my heart and soul that is… It has been an amazing year so far, mostly living a happy and healthy life with my loving wife, Judy, and Simba, our aging kitty. Most importantly, we are growing as senior citizens in a highly active community on the central coast of Oregon near Depoe Bay. We love living at the...

The East Tennessee ACEs Mobilization Team conducted their first meeting on June 1 st , 2018 at the Family Justice Center in Knoxville, TN. Knowledge Mobilization efforts support the culture change related to philosophy, policy, program and practice that ultimately foster healthy child development and meet the Building Strong Brains Training goals. The Tennessee Building Strong Brains Goals are to: Increase the potential that every child born in Tennessee has the opportunity to lead a...

Janai Mestrovich, Ashland, OR, (BS/MS, Family & Child Development) has been teaching Early Childhood Education and Social/Emotional Learning for 42 years. She specializes in '3D' experiences that help her students visualize and feel the lesson as part of the SuperKid Power curriculum. The 'breathing sphere' opens and closes to show kids how the body/lungs/diaphragm work inside them and Janai opens and closes it as she counts out numbers for inhale, hold and exhale. In the 'staying calm...

The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) is excited to announce the call for abstracts for our 26th Colloquium. Held in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2019, APSAC's 26th Colloquium will bring high-quality learning opportunities to child maltreatment researchers and practitioners across experience levels and professions. When preparing an abstract, sessions should be designated as beginning, intermediate, or advanced level content. Priority will be given to presentations...

ACES on campus: https://www.insidehighered.com/news