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Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, June 4, 2019. Challenges threatening the upcoming 2020 census could risk more than 4 million people to be missing from next year's national head count, according to new projections by the Urban Institute . The nonpartisan think tank found that the danger of an inaccurate census could hit some of the country's most difficult-to-count populations the hardest. Based on the Urban Institute's analysis, the 2020 census could lead to the worst undercount of black and Latinx...

Students start each day with meditation During her first year as principal of Suisun Elementary in Suisun City, Calif., in 2014 Ann Marie Neubert suspended 102 students — out of a student population of 550 —for disrupting their classes. It was a serious problem, but the school’s teachers didn’t know what to do. “[Teachers] felt like they were using all the tools in their toolbox and it wasn’t changing behavior,” she recalls. Ann Marie Neubert Too many students were spending too much time out...

Finding the Missing ACEs : The ACEs research by Drs. Felitti, Anda and colleagues has spawned a growing and influential social movement on behalf of trauma-informed practices and institutions. However, the ACEs research misses entirely the social contexts of households such as extreme poverty and racism that can themselves create toxic stress. Broader measures of adversity can provide a more accurate picture of the varying likelihood of toxic stress among children in differ by race, class...

Good News! First 5 of Contra Costa County and Tehama County Department of Education are considering purchasing sets of our parenting norms bumper stickers. Visit advancingparenting.org.

I remain forever grateful that my long felt and seeming innate knowledge ( actually garnered from personal experience, work with traumatised animals and people ) has been evidenced and validated by the amazing work of Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda. They created the peg I, we, can hang our experience and expertise on and work to best apply our skills to assist others. With ACEs I am now able to communicate my knowledge with clients, colleagues and communities with the additional confidence...

There has been a lot of hand-wringing in the local press about the state of the Madison Metropolitan School District, particularly around behavior. In particular, the behavior education plan implemented over the last several years — intended to reduce exclusionary practices and use a more progressive approach to discipline — has come under fire for essentially allowing a permissive, low-consequence environment that affects learning as well as staff morale. I read these with interest — my two...

Between 55 and 99 percent of women who attend addiction treatment and between 85 and 95 percent of women with a history of mental illness have a history of trauma. Among this trauma , the vast majority happened during childhood. Whether the trauma involves neglect, sexual assault, or dysfunction within the family, the need for trauma-informed care in both addiction treatment and in the mental health field is of great importance. When I found myself at a detox facility 1,300 miles away from...

Since becoming mayor of Ithaca, New York, eight years ago, Svante Myrick has been become known for many things, most obviously being a young, black elected public official in upstate New York. By his own admission, some of his policy ideas are gimmicks, like turning the mayor’s designated parking spot into a pocket park. (Take that, greenhouse gases!) Myrick also takes pride in knocking on 30,000 Ithaca doors and interacting with residents on social media, both tactics that go over well in a...

They are expressions of light. They are a doer, a dreamer, a lover, a fighter, and a fiercely independent sprite – compassionate, philosophical, playful, focused, and determined...

Raquel E. Gur, MD, PhD; Tyler M. Moore, PhD; Adon F. G. Rosen, BS; et al JAMA Psychiatry . Published online May 29, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.0943 KEY POINTS Question What is the association of an adverse environment, including low socioeconomic status and traumatic stressful events, with psychopathology, neurocognition, and brain parameters in puberty among children and young adults? Findings In this community-based cohort study of 9498 participants, low socioeconomic status was...

Blacking out and waking up the next morning wondering what had happened the night before was normal for me while I was stuck in the midst of addiction - but this time was different. I didn’t know where I was, the room was unfamiliar and dark. There were clothes scattered all over the floor. I had a pounding headache and I was completely undressed, only covered by a small blanket with stains all over it. My whole body was achy and I knew something was wrong. I had a sense of impending doom...

The final session of the 2019 Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI) starts on June 10, 2019. We have several partial scholarships still available due to many visa denials for international applicants. Click here to apply for any of the following courses: Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR), Level 1 : Explore processes and tools for addressing trauma, breaking cycles of violence, and building resilience. Increase awareness of the impact of trauma on the body, mind, beliefs,...