News / New Jersey News

New Jersey is hard at work addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and creating a trauma-informed, healing-centered state. Currently, New Jersey ranks third among states for the highest percentage of children ages 0-17 who have experienced two or more ACEs. ACEs can negatively impact a child’s development and are linked to poor long-term health and social outcomes. Stakeholders throughout the state — including communities, health care organizations, schools, state agencies,...

The Community Schools Reading Intervention program was developed by elementary school officials and Mercer Street Friends during the pandemic. A nonprofit in Trenton, N.J., is helping younger students read at grade level. Bernie Flynn, the CEO of Mercer Street Friends, said the Community Schools Reading Intervention program was developed in partnership with elementary school officials during the pandemic. During a ceremony at Trenton’s Luis Muñoz-Rivera Elementary School, first and second...

This is a community event where we encourage healthy habits and activities for children and families. Organizations and Vendors are able to set up tables (free of charge) and share information with the community. We just ask that you bring an activity for the children to participate in, engage in, take, etc. I’ve attached additional details. Alejandrina Batista, LCSW ( She/Her) Director of Mental Health Services RARITAN BAY AREA YMCA 357 New Brunswick Avenue Perth Amboy, NJ 08861 (P)...

Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority targets preventable loss of life in childbirth, especially among Black women and newborns. As the board of New Jersey’s new Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority sat down for its inaugural meeting Wednesday morning in Trenton, social media was buzzing with the story. Another educated, well-off Black woman had lost her life to childbirth: former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader Krystal Anderson had died of sepsis days after delivering a...

The NJ Resiliency Coalition would like to share flyer for the Event shown. Please click on the attachment to open the flyer in the Adobe PDF format. From there you will be able to use the clickable links.

The OOR Police-Youth Initiative was highlighted in the newest issue of The NJ Police Chief Magazine. Community navigator Tim Woody authored an article – look for it on page 25 on this link: The NJ Police Chief Magazine - Volume 30, Number 5 FEB 2024 MAG (joomag.com)

Please open attached PDF file for registration link. Meeting Registration - Zoom (zoomgov.com)

DCF Documentary, Truth to Transformation , to Screen at Garden State Film Festival Documentary Short Follows the Stories of Three People Affected by the Child Welfare System as They Work with the Department to Co-Design the Future of Child Welfare in NJ ASBURY PARK, N.J. – Over the last six years, the New Jersey Department of Children and Families has been actively working to change the narrative of child welfare in the state, to promote a vision of a family-serving system that helps all...

At the Center for Prevention and Counseling (CPC), staff are committed to seamlessly integrating strategies and education on healthy youth development They saw a natural alignment between Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets for youth and the importance of raising awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), including strategies to prevent and mitigate their impact. Using funding from the Department of Children and Families’ Office of Resilience microgrants, CPC staff developed...

Program Name: Champions For Life RAC: Give a Kid a Dream Person of Contact: Jacklyn Atkins In her long professional career, Jacklyn Atkins has a diverse background. From being the Executive Director of Research and Development at AT&T to working with at-risk youth in Long Branch, to traveling to India for similar work. Her travel required long absences from her clients in New Jersey, which became increasingly difficult, eventually leading her to build her own program- Champions for Life.

In July 2021, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law P.L.2021, c.187 to create a statewide, universal home visiting (UHV) program for newborns in the State of New Jersey.1 The program has been branded in New Jersey as Family Connects NJ. New Jersey is the second state in the country to legislate a statewide program through which families with a newborn can have a specially trained nurse visit their home in the first few weeks after the child’s birth. The services are free, voluntary, and meant...

The Bloom Project, initiated by Sanar Institute to address the profound impact of adverse childhood experiences, particularly violence, stands as a beacon of hope and healing. Established with a prevention-oriented mindset, the project provides trauma healing services to youth and young adults who have endured adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). By facilitating their journey towards holistic well-being, the Bloom Project aspires to heal existing trauma and also to mitigate the risk of...