Tagged With "Early Childhood"
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Webinar Learning Series begins tomorrow: State Policy Approaches to Addressing Childhood Adversity, Wednesday, January 10, 10am PST (1:00 PM EST)
Reminder of tomorrow's ( Wednesday, January 10, 10am PST/1:00 PM EST) webinar on State Policy Approaches to Addressing Childhood Adversity Please join us for a three -part learning series hosted by the California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity and ACEs Connection . We'll hear from states that are making great strides towards adopting trauma-informed policies and practices. Three-Part Learning Series: Webinar 1: Overview of State Level Efforts to Address Childhood Adversity and...
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Webinar Learning Series: State Policy Approaches to Addressing Childhood Adversity, January 10, 10am PST (1:00 PM EST)
Please join us for a three -part learning series hosted by the California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity and ACEs Connection . We'll hear from states that are making great strides towards adopting trauma-informed policies and practices. Three-Part Learning Series: Webinar 1: Overview of State Level Efforts to Address Childhood Adversity and Highlights from Oregon, Tennessee, and Wisconsin Date: January 10th, 10AM PST (1:00 PM EST) Speakers: Elizabeth Prewitt, Policy Analyst, ACEs...
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Wellness group warns of danger surrounding Adverse Childhood Experiences [KTVH.com]
HELENA – Many people look fondly on their childhood, but traumatic events that occur during youth can end up causing major problems down the line. On Monday, organizers with Elevate Montana, a children and family wellness group, hosted a screening of the documentary “Resilience” at the Helena Middle School auditorium. The film looks at the effects of what researchers have deemed Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) which are events during childhood like mental and physical abuse or having an...
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What is your ACE score? Countywide school board meeting teaches how adverse childhood experience play into overall health [madisoniannews.com]
SHERIDAN – Sheridan School was this year’s host for the countywide school board meeting on Jan. 24. Trustees and administrators from all four Madison County Schools were present, as well as Madison County Superintendent of Schools Pam Birkeland, Madison County commissioners Ron Nye and Dan Allhands, Sen. Jeff Welborn (R-Dillon), and Rep. Ray Shaw (R-Sheridan). Attendees were treated to a sit-down dinner prepared by the Sheridan life skills class and received tip-top service from Sheridan’s...
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What other ACE surveys have additional questions? We know of seven.
We’ll start to populate the new Resource Center next month. One of the sections lists ACE surveys that have additional questions. The CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study revealed that ACEs contribute to most of our major chronic health, mental health, economic health and social health issues. It measured five types of abuse and neglect: physical, verbal and sexual abuse; physical and emotional neglect. And five types of family dysfunction: a family member with mental...
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Why be "trauma-informed?" - a training for churches by Chaplain Chris Haughee, DMin
As I wrap up my doctoral studies, I am excited to see how the concept of becoming “trauma-informed” in ministry is starting to pick up steam across the country. A large part of the credit for furthering that conversation goes to you--my friends and colleagues here on ACEsConnection! It's been humbling to see how our relatively small ministry in Montana has something to add to the conversation. In fact, far from being behind the curve here in Montana, we are on the cutting edge in terms of...
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Wisconsin state agencies end year one of trauma-informed learning community; goal is to be first trauma-informed state
Here in California, many people think that it’s only liberal Democrats who have a corner on championing the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and putting it into practice. That might be because people who use ACEs science don’t expel or suspend students, even if they’re throwing chairs and hurling expletives at the teacher. They ask "What happened to you?" rather than "What's wrong with you?" as a frame when they create juvenile detention centers where kids don’t fight, reduce...
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ACES conference focuses on consequences of child abuse, neglect [RivalliRepublic.com]
The Bitterroot Cares for Kids Network is presenting “ACES in the Bitterroot,’’ a day-long conference on identifying, preventing and alleviating the consequences of childhood abuse and neglect. Todd Garrison, director of the ChildWise Institute, will be the guest speaker at the Aug. 17 event, which also will feature the film “Paper Tiger.’’ The focus will be on the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, which has identified childhood trauma as a major public health issue. According to the...
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ACEs Connection, our Cooperative of Communities, and....Pando!
Last month, we officially launched the ACEs Connection Cooperative of Communities. We are SO excited about this! And the communities that are part of the handful of ACEs initiatives that are piloting the Cooperative are, too! Before describing the Cooperative, I want to reassure our 40,000+ members and 277 ACEs initiatives (plus another 100 in development) that have communities on ACEs Connection that nothing on ACEsConnection.com changes! Membership is and remains free ! And it will remain...
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ACEs program to start in Bitterroot
The Bitterroot Cares For Kids Network is the "backbone organization" of the newly established Elevate Montana Bitterroot Affiliate , and they are on the run! The Bitterroot Cares for Kids Network is starting support programming as a follow-up to their August conference on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) “ACEs in the Bitterroot.” The conference was on identifying, preventing and alleviating the consequences of childhood abuse and neglect. The first support programming is a book-club type...
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Adverse Childhood Experiences Training [falloncountyextra.com]
Eastern Montana Residents - Take note of an upcoming ACEs training! This training looks to be perfectly timed following recent reports that Montana ranks 4th in the nation for toxic childhoods. Adverse Childhood Experiences Training will be held on Friday, March 17 at 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the Plevna School Childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have a tremendous impact on future violence victimization and perpetration, and lifelong health and opportunity. As such, early...
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Adversity Is Not Destiny
Childhood adversity can activate the human stress response system, which is primarily made up of the hormones/chemicals cortisol and adrenaline. In the developing brain of a child, prolonged activation of the stress response system can cause these chemicals to actually become toxic. Think of that – a child’s brain being bathed in toxic chemicals due to abuse, neglect, or chaotic household dysfunction. It’s called toxic stress. It’s real, not imagined, and it’s physiological, potentially...
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Artists in the ACE and Resilience Movement: Creative Avenues to Change
They began with a song and ended with a poem. In-between, there were photographs and giant graphic renderings, movement exercises and a “human pulse” formed when 90 people stood in a circle and squeezed each other’s hands. At a June summit in Whatcom County, Washington, titled “Our Resilient Community: A Community Conversation on Resilience and Equity,” the arts played a starring role. Kristi Slette, executive director of the Whatcom Family and Community Network, one of two Washington sites...
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Building Resilience for Better Lives - from HelenaIR.com
Life is hard. “In this world you WILL have trouble,” Jesus said. The ability to successfully face the hardships that will inevitably come to us will determine our level of satisfaction, joy, and peace. Resilience isn’t just a desirable trait, it’s absolutely essential. And, it turns out that scripture has a lot to say about this essential quality for successful living. There are many passages we could examine to illustrate the point, but the letter from James is one of my favorites. Eugene...
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Childhood trauma harms kids. Can schools help fix the damage? [BillingsGazette.com]
Domestic violence. Sexual abuse. An incarcerated parent. Some students bring these experiences to school each day, lodged in their brain like textbooks in a backpack. Research shows that these childhood experiences negatively affect physical, social, emotional and academic health into adulthood. It’s time for schools to embrace that, a former principal told a group of Yellowstone County educators, and to build it into the foundation of their schools. Jim Sporleder advocates for a...
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Community Voices: Creating a Just, Healthy and Resilient World
Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) is a vibrant learning collaborative of fourteen sites actively engaged in building the movement for a just, healthy and resilient world. Using the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and resiliency as their organizing framework, these communities have built strong cross-sector networks to help heal and prevent early childhood adversity. From October 2016 through May 2017, we were privileged to travel to all fourteen MARC...
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Confronting Adverse Childhood Experiences to Improve Rural Kids’ Lifelong Health
According to the 2010 U.S. Census , Montana ranks 5th in the nation for the percentage of population living in a rural area (44.1%), eclipsed only by Mississippi, West Virginia, Vermont, and Maine. And as you may know, Montana is the 4th largest state in the nation! There are so many great things about being such a rural state — the charm of small towns, the beauty of farms and ranches, the wide-open spaces, our majestic mountains, rivers, streams, and creeks; and of course, let’s not forget...
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Early childhood programs can reduce the effects of trauma [Missoulian.com]
Did you know the infant brain forms 2.5 million neural connections every hour? That's a whopping 60 million connections every day. Under ideal situations of a loving, nurturing environment, these synapses flourish. On the other hand, it is thought that severe or chronic stress and trauma impacts the way these connections develop. Under-development in certain areas of the brain can affect basic functions such as trust or empathy. Unused synapses are pruned out in favor of those that are...
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Emma’s House appoints development director [RavalliRepublic.com]
Emma’s House, the Bitterroot Children’s Advocacy Center for over 10 years, has a new development director, upcoming events and supportive friends. Joni Lubke is the new development director for Emma’s House, splitting her time as executive assistant for the Bitterroot National Forest. Lubke officially started at Emma’s House in early February after serving on the board. “My two years serving on the board made me have a big passion for what this little organization does so I wanted to help,”...
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Everything is NOT fine...
Everything is NOT fine… Has your church heard about ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences)? If not, I am sure you have seen the effects in your communities and your worshipping communities. Those in our congregations, as well as those in our neighborhoods, are struggling under the weight of unresolved trauma, persistent toxic stress, and the dysfunction that results from broken relationships. No matter what we might want to tell one another, “Everything is NOT fine.” In our home state—where...
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Failed by Montana’s foster care, man succeeds despite long odds [BozemanDailyChronicle.com]
Schylar Canfield Baber remembers everything about the moment he was taken away from his family. “I can remember the police raid on our trailer,” Schylar said. “I can remember my footie pajamas, the feel of my feet along the ground as I walked to the police car. I can remember my mother being placed over another police car and being handcuffed, and she got smaller as the car pulled away.” He was 6 years old. One of his few photos from that period, showing him and his little brother smiling...
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From Awareness to Action, with Voices of Lived Experience: Wisconsin’s Collective Impact Initiative
Perhaps it wasn’t the optimum time to update the network’s vision and values statements: a virtual meeting held in the midst of a global pandemic. But a record number of people—51, compared to the typical 30—tuned in for the May 1 Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health (OCMH) Collective Impact Council, and they gave the new values statement, which highlights inclusivity and collaboration, an enthusiastic thumbs-up. At the virtual table were members from key state departments—Children...
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Grassroots resilience: Rural communities tackle ACEs
Rt to left—Adrienne Coopey, DO, Billings Clinic, MT, Lorenzo Lewis, The Confess Project, Little Rock, Ark, and Mendy Spohn, MPH, public health administrator in several counties in Oklahoma ________________________________________________ The three presenters for the “Grassroots Resilience: Rural Communities Tackle ACEs” workshop brought to life the unique challenges of addressing ACEs and trauma in rural communities and shared some valuable lessons for communities of any size. Mendy Spohn, a...
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Helena conference focuses on childhood trauma [Helenair.com]
Toxic stress in children is a topic Montanans are beginning to hear more about. Researchers have been discovering that children raised with certain traumas -- known as Adverse Childhood Experiences -- can suffer lifelong impacts. Traumatic experiences such as neglect or emotional, physical or sexual abuse cause the child’s brain to flood with cortisol, a chemical the body releases as part of its fight-or-flight response when threatened. When the brain floods with cortisol, it affects the...
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ITRC calls for Universal Resilience Education and Skills Training for Climate Trauma
Sneak Preview for ITRC ACEs Connection Members! Next Tuesday, Jan. 8, the ITRC will release a major report Preparing People on the West Coast for Climate Change. The media release about the report is below (and attached). It includes a link to the webpage for the report, where people can download the full report, and find a link to the webpage with examples of resilience programs across the west coast. You can connect with the ITRC CA and PNW Facebook page:...
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Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) Represented at California ACEs Conference
(L to R) Teri Barila from Children's Resilience Initiative in Walla Walla, WA along with Dr. Ariane Marie-Mitchell from San Bernardino County, CA ACEs Task Force share their ACEs journey in their communities Representatives from several MARC communities were among the 450 people who attended the 2016 Adverse Childhood Experiences Conference in San Francisco, CA on October 19th and 20th. This is the third CA ACEs conference sponsored by the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW), and it was also the...
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Moving toward the ACEs tipping point: Communities, their ACEs initiatives and ACEs billboards
David Bornstein, a columnist for the New York Times , posted the third of a three-part series ( Putting the power of self-knowledge to work ) about communities that are integrating trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on ACEs science. (Part one — Tapping a troubled neighborhood’s inner strength , and part two — How community networks stem childhood traumas .) It’s a terrific series, with information that we can all use, and I highly recommend reading them all. Some members...
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Opinion: Butte CARES supports partnerships to fight drug abuse [MTStandard.com]
On Friday, August 11, a headline in The Montana Standard read "Drugs, Obesity Top Concerns.” The article was prompted by the reveal of the recent Community Needs Assessment conducted by St. James Healthcare and the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department. In examining these two issues of most concern, both have a definite impact on the health and wellbeing of our community. Studies have shown that both drug use and obesity can shorten the average life span of an individual. There is also...
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Shodair holds public trainings on adverse childhood experiences [KTVH.com]
HELENA – Shodair Children’s Hospital held free adverse childhood experiences or “ACEs” training for the community on Thursday. ACEs are defined as exposure to emotional, physical or sexual abuse, and household dysfunction during childhood. Participants included healthcare workers, members of the school district, and nursing students. Shodair RN Christine Schultz said the goal of the training wasn’t to say “what’s wrong” with an individual, but rather help people understand a person’s...
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States Produce a Bumper Crop of ACEs bills in 2017—nearly 40 bills in 18 states
A scan done in March by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) through StateNet of bills introduced in 2017 that specifically include adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the text produced a surprising volume of bills (close of 40) in a large number of states (18). A scan done a year ago produced less than a handful. NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves both state legislators and their staffs. The shear volume of bills in so many states represents a promising...
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Suicide Prevention Bill Includes ACEs!
"These types of demographics and statistics are unacceptable." That's what Senator Windy Boy, sponsor of Montana Legislative House Bill 118 , said in regards to suicide rates in Montana. “We’re ranked among the highest in suicide nationwide,” said Windy Boy. “Indian Country is ranked the highest in Montana." He continued, "This is the first step in reducing that,” adding that he wants to thank the governor and the Legislature for their support in “making sure this was a priority in this...
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The Public's Health: A look at US policy's effect on children [MTStandard.com]
Had you asked me two years ago whether U.S. policy would ever promote toxic stress in children, I would have looked at you as if you had two horns growing out of your head. After all, the U.S. government philosophically for decades has served as a global patriarch — and matriarch! — working to ensure that populations — especially children — have at least a rudimentary standard of living, and that all humans have basic rights. This column will not serve to inform about what’s currently...
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The Public's Health: County aligns strategy with state health goals [MTStandard.com]
The proposed priorities listed in the State Health Improvement Plan, which will drive health improvement processes in Montana from 2018 through 2022, largely mirror the priorities developed from the recent 2017 Butte-Silver Bow Community Health Needs Assessment and other health improvement work occurring in Butte-Silver Bow. The proposed priorities in the state plan include cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention and control; cancer control, with a focus on tobacco use prevention and...
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The Public's Health: Help available to recognize and deal with toxic stress in children [mtstandard.com]
If you are a parent, you are likely hyper-aware of and concerned about the stresses in your children’s lives. Stress in children is normal — in order to develop properly, children actually require stress — stress being defined as a mental, physical or biochemical response to a perceived threat or demand. Childhood stress is actually natural and inevitable. What we parents and adults actually need to look for are the “types” of stress being experienced by our kids and other children, because...
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Three non-profits are hosting “Spring-Back” ACEs Resiliency seminar, April 20 [RivalliRepublic.com]
Spring-Back' is a celebration of well-being, resilience from adversity and less daily stress. It is hosted by The Bitterroot Cares for Kids Network, Emma’s House and Tobacco Free Ravalli, on April 20, in the Bedford Building. "Spring-Back 2017 is designed to uplift professionals working with kids and parents or caregivers by understanding ways to take care of themselves in order to care for others effectively,” said Kierstin Schmitt, prevention coordinator at Emma's House. “We will offer a...
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TIC: News and Notes for March 2020
ACEs, Adversity's Impact Lessons learned integrating ACEs science into health clinics: Staff first, THEN patients Launching a revolution Stress is a key to understanding many social determinants of health Is trauma driving some eating disorders? Adverse childhood experiences: What we know, what we don't know, and what should happen next Childhood maltreatment initiates a developmental cascade that leads to relationship dysfunction in emerging adulthood Report reveals link between poverty,...
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Trauma & Resiliency Summit in the Columbia River Gorge
Hello all! The Columbia River Gorge is hosting a Trauma & Resiliency Summit on October 20th & 21st, 2016 in The Dalles, OR. Registration is made free to attendees through MARC Grant funding. If you are in the area please join us! And please note that registration is only available prior to the event as we have a limited amount of space. Claire
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'Trauma-informed' communities focus of movement [MTStandard.com]
Dillon folks are hard at work creating a healthier community. The Beaverhead County ACEs Task Force — going gangbusters since February 2016 — has coalesced into a driving force for the wider trauma-informed community movement taking hold across the state. “We have been moving and working like mad,” said Melainya Ryan, task force chairwoman. “Our community is ripe.” ACEs stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences that affect health and wellness across the life span, as Helena-based expert Katie...
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Understanding ACEs promotes healing [ValleyJournal.net]
There’s a problem and we all have the solution. According to The Center for the Developing Child at Harvard University, “When adults have opportunities to build the core skills that are needed to be productive participants in the workforce and to provide stable, responsive environments for the children in their care, our economy will be stronger, and the next generation of citizens, workers, and parents will thrive.” Individuals, communities and the nation have within their grasp information...
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Virtual Screening of Broken Places on March 21st & Registration for ACEs Connection Members!
Please join us on Thursday, March 21st for a special virtual screening of Broken Places , the latest U.S. documentary on early childhood trauma and resilience. The film will be offered via a private Vimeo link with passcode to all registered members of ACEs Connection, for free, accessible in the United States and internationally. REGISTER TODAY: To register, please visit : https://goo.gl/forms/apdoINwgtQmydEXK2 The viewing portal for the film will open on Vimeo at 6am EST and close at 11pm...
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Virtual Screening of Cracked Up for ACEs Connection Members: June 9-10 - Register Now!
We are excited to offer an exclusive virtual screening to all ACEs Connection members of the new, acclaimed film, CRACKED UP . This documentary film is about the long term effects of childhood trauma, told through Saturday Night Live veteran Darrell Hammond’s journey in discovering adverse childhood experiences at the root of his lifelong battle with self-harm, addiction, and misdiagnosis. The film’s director, Michelle Esrick, and other special guests will join us after the screening window...
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Local Affiliates Accelerate ACEs-and-Resilience Movement in Montana
In Toole County, Montana, deputy sheriffs call a school counselor, from their patrol cars, after responding to a traumatic incident—a domestic abuse call, an overdose, an arrest—that involves a child. “Handle with care,” they tell the counselor, and they give the child’s name. The counselor passes that information to teachers: a quiet heads-up that the student might be hungry or sleepy, tearful, angry or distracted by whatever happened at home. “My teachers love it,” says Mary Miller, chair...
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Cracked Up, The Evolving Conversation: Generational Trauma - Breaking the Cycle [crackedupmovie.com]
CRACKED UP THE EVOLVING CONVERSATION Episode 4: Generational Trauma - Breaking the Cycle with Darrell Hammond, Comedian, actor, SNL Legend Michelle Esrick, Filmmaker, activist Bessel van der Kolk, MD, Author of The Body Keeps the Score Jane Stevens, Founder of ACES Connection and special guest Jane Fonda Academy Award-winning actor, producer, author and activist Thursday June 25th at 1pm PDT / 2p MT / 3p CT / 4pm EDT Hosted by ACEs Connection THE PRICE OF THIS LIVE EVENT IS $12.50 We have...
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California reaches milestone with ACEs initiatives pulsing in all 58 counties. Next: All CA cities.
Karen Clemmer, the Northwest community facilitator with ACEs Connection, was already deeply interested in the CDC/Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study when she and a colleague from the Child Parent Institute were invited to lunch by ACEs Connection founder and publisher Jane Stevens in 2012. But that lunch meeting changed everything. Karen Clemmer “Jane helped us see a bigger world,” says Clemmer. “She came with a much wider lens. She didn’t look only at Sonoma County, she...
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Does VP Candidate Kamala Harris know about ACEs? You bet!
Nadine Burke Harris, California’s Surgeon General, has a lot in common with the vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris—Jamaican heritage, surname, home state—and a commitment to addressing ACEs and toxic stress. As reported in the New Yorker article by Paul Tough, “The Poverty Clinic,” Dr. Harris told Kamala Harris, then San Francisco district attorney, about ACEs in 2008 and in response, she offered to help. District Attorney Harris then introduced her to professor of child and...
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ACE Impact Team Aligns Efforts to Help Newark Residents Reach Greatest Potential
Five years of convening Newark’s ACE Impact Team has taught Keri Logosso-Misurell a crucial lesson: Fight the urge to reinvent the wheel.
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Pathway for Trauma is Pathway for Resilience: Fresno Network's Message Inspires Hope
In Fresno, volunteers from local churches were already working with the schools, mentoring kids and running weekend recreation programs. Community-based non-profits were in conversation with educators; pastors were talking to social-service providers. The problems were clear: nearly 30% of Fresno’s residents living in poverty (the rate tops 40% for Black residents), with a 20-year gap in life expectancy between the richest and poorest parts of this sharply segregated city. For several years,...
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Introducing the Transform Trauma with ACEs Science Film Festival & Follow-Up Discussions
Transform Trauma with ACEs Sciences Film Festival & Follow-Up Discussions The following weekend watch parties and follow-up discussions are co-hosted by ACEs Connection, The Relentless School Nurse , and The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy & Practice (CTIPP) . We appreciated the filmmakers for making these films free to watch for our members and for the public programming of PBS. The films we’ll feature are as follows: Portraits of Professional Caregivers Whole People Part 1...
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Introducing the Transform Trauma with ACEs Science Film Festival & Follow-Up Discussions
Transform Trauma with ACEs Sciences Film Festival & Follow-Up Discussions The following weekend watch parties and follow-up discussions are co-hosted by ACEs Connection, The Relentless School Nurse , and The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy & Practice (CTIPP) . We appreciated the filmmakers for making these films free to watch for our members and for the public programming of PBS. The films we’ll feature are as follows: Portraits of Professional Caregivers Whole People Part 1...
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CALIFORNIA ACES ACADEMY: Parental ACEs and Pediatrics: Transforming Well Care [avahealth.org]
CALIFORNIA ACES ACADEMY (CAA) , funded by ACEs Aware, is providing free online training to Medi-Cal providers and others featuring: Practical strategies for integrating trauma-informed health care into your team’s practice that improves patients’ well being and the productivity of your practice. Meet colleagues with experience and success providing trauma-informed health care in their practices. Learn from national and local experts. Talk to other professionals from your region in small...