Tagged With "foster children"
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2019 Champions for Children
Registration Now Open Join us for an evening to recognize the 2019 Champions for Children. Honorees include: Kelly Blucher: Fierce advocate for child care access and affordability Marti Cates: Thoughtful and loving teacher at A Step Ahead supporting families of infants and toddlers with special needs The Pod Works: Founded by the visionary, Kayla Schroader, a working space dedicated to "Mompreneurs" Laura Lee Bentle: Dedicated Pierce County CASA Coordinator and Advocate Surprise Champion: To...
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Bringing ACEs, Resilience, and Hope to preschool families
This school year, an endeavor of the Franklin Pierce Hewins Early Learning Center (ELC) was to bring Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Resilience to the preschool families. What began as a broad idea soon turned into an exciting project: “Rise to Resilience & Hope”. Our ELC has had a Kids at Hope culture for many years – believing that all children are capable of success, with no exceptions. With Kids at Hope, the adults are Treasure Hunters, seeking out and recognizing the...
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Broken Places- A 2019 BPT Film Screening
"The world breaks and afterward many are strong in the broken places" - Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms During the BPT Pre-Conference on June 25th, CRI will be screening Broken Places - a documentary that posits why some children are severely damaged by early adversity while others are able to thrive. Filmmakers explored 40 years of film archives following children who experienced immense childhood stress, watching with curiosity as some overcame hardship and thrived in their adult...
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Dr. Melissa Merrick Explains CDC's Vital Signs/ACEs Report [Prevent Child Abuse America]
Dr. Melissa Merrick, president & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, provides four key takeaways from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest Vital Signs/ACEs report , of which she is the lead author. Merrick also identifies several practical solutions for creating the conditions for safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments for all children, families and communities, which are fundamental to preventing ACEs. Among these solutions is strengthening economic...
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Free Online Hope Forum - Kids at Hope
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 2:00pm Eastern Time 1:00pm Central Time 12:00pm Mountain Time 11:00am Pacific Time (AZ) To register, click here . Rick Miller Founder of Kids at Hope and Professor of Practice and Clinical Director at Arizona State University’s Center for the Advanced Study and Practice of HOPE will be joined by very special guests for a series of weekly Online HOPE Forums exploring the soul, science and practice of HOPE during times of uncertainty. Joining Rick for the first of...
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How does a regional healthcare organization integrate trauma-informed care?
Slowly, but at warp speed. That’s what it feels like to take on educating 16,000 staff member in 21 hospitals that serve 29 counties, says Becky Haas, trauma informed administrator for Ballad Health. Turning around a culture, especially a health culture that’s more familiar with doing things the “traditional” way rather than embracing change, will take time and lots of repetition.
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It started in her garage. Now, a Puyallup woman helps clothe almost 1,500 foster kids a year (The News Tribune)
It all started in Erika Thompson’s garage. Thompson, who has been a foster parent for a decade, remembers it well. Not long before, she welcomed the first of what would become many foster children into her home. Like many foster kids, the child arrived on Thompson’s doorstep in crisis and with almost nothing. The child was from King County, so Thompson was able to turn to a Seattle-based nonprofit that provides support and services for foster kids and their caregivers, including new and...
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Kids at Hope in the NW
When I joined the Franklin Pierce Early Learning Center a year ago, I was immediately struck by the positive and hopeful atmosphere. I would quickly learn that the school is a Kids at Hope school - believing and practicing that "All Children are Capable of Success, No Exceptions!" Adults at a Kids at Hope school are Treasure Hunters - seeking out the strengths of both the children and adults in the building, as well as within themselves. I soon was connected with Wally Endicott as I prepared...
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Kids at Hope Storytelling at the Beyond Paper Tigers Conference 2019 (Video)
It was an incredible opportunity to experience the Beyond Paper Tigers Conference this year. One of our Head Start teachers, Lyn, and myself arrived in Pasco a day ahead to participate in the Course 2 Trauma-Informed training offered by Community Resilience Initiative. Thus began our excitement that would last for the following days - the training giving us strategies and ideas to improve the work we do in serving children and families. Following the training was a networking opportunity...
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Latest ACEs science research from PubMed, April 8, 2019
Association of Social Adversity with Comorbid Diabetes and Depression Symptoms in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study: A Syndemic Framework. McCurley JL, Gutierrez AP, Bravin JI, Schneiderman N, Reina SA, Khambaty T, Castañeda SF, Smoller S, Daviglus ML, O'Brien MJ, Carnethon MR, Isasi CR, Perreira KM, Talavera GA, Yang M, Gallo LC. Ann Behav Med . 2019 Apr 5. pii: kaz009. doi: 10.1093/abm/kaz009. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:30951585 Similar...
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New Lakewood mental health clinic opens for veterans and their families (The News Tribune)
A new mental health care option for the military community is available in Lakewood. The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Valley Cities celebrated its grand opening Friday. The clinic had an earlier “soft” opening. The clinic, which was recently touted in Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier’s State of the County address , will offer mental health services regardless of discharge status or ability to pay. The clinic is part of the nonprofit Cohen Veterans Network, which has 11...
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PCEs and Building Resilience - Oct 21 workshop
Have you read or heard about the new study on Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs)? Join Sound Discipline for our next Building Resiliency workshop (Oct 21) to learn how to be a buffer against trauma and toxic stress in your community. Read below for a note from Sound Discipline Executive Director, Jody McVittie MD, on PCEs and Building Resilience. As a former practicing family physician, I love when the science catches up to what we already know from our own experience of working with...
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Project by Bonney Lake students helps give disabled children mobility (The News Tribune)
Sidnee Petter knows how important it is for kids with disabilities to be able to move around easily, especially if they’re in a wheelchair. The senior at Bonney Lake High School works through her church with kids who are experiencing disabilities. “I work with a child that can only move one side — that’s the only side that works, everything else is limp,” Petter said in an interview with The Puyallup Herald on Thursday. “Seeing that kid grow, having the mobility of one side and being able to...
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Recap: NW Conference on Behavioral and Addictive Disorders
It is no secret that Adverse Childhood Experiences and trauma in childhood have a wide-ranging impact on health-risk outcomes across an individual’s lifetime. This includes behavioral, physical, and mental health impacts, such as smoking, alcoholism, and substance use; depression, suicide attempts, heart disease, and cancer. At the 32 nd Annual Northwest Conference on Behavioral and Addictive Disorders, topics focused on trauma treatment, neuroscience and therapy, and the intersection of...
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Resource List - Growing Cross-Sector, Community-Based ACEs and Resilience Initiatives
Resources for individuals, organizations, and communities moving along trauma and hope-informed pathways in order to: Prevent and mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Promote resilience and safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. Promote equity and racial justice. Prevent substance abuse and promote mental health. … so that all children, youth, families and communities have equal opportunity for educational success, economic stability, health, and well-being.
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Resource List - Trauma Informed Approaches and Autism Spectrum and Other Developmental Disabilities
Resources for individuals, organizations, and communities moving along trauma and hope-informed pathways in order to: Prevent and mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Promote resilience and safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. Promote equity and racial justice. Prevent substance abuse and promote mental health. … so that all children, youth, families and communities have equal opportunity for educational success, economic stability, health, and well-being.
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RSVP now for two lunchtime webinars! April 14th & April 28th!
Washington State Essentials for Childhood is launching a series of lunchtime webinar series. Series three and four webinars are: 3 Guiding Truths for Building Regulation and Resilience in Children with Significant Trauma Related Needs Time and Date: April 14, 2020; 12:00 – 1:00pm Presented by: Tiffany Sudela-Junker Mother by adoption, Tiffany Sudela-Junker shares stories from her own personal and parenting transformation along with the science & insight that led her to uncover Three...
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Save the Date – Wednesday, May 15, 2019 - ACEs and Resilience Community of Practice Event
Mark your calendar for the third Washington statewide ACEs and Resilience Community of Practice event, hosted by the Washington State Essentials for Childhood, Washington State Department of Health, and Everett Public Schools. Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm Location: Everett Public Schools Community Resource Center 3900 Broadway Everett, WA 98201 Registration information will be available soon. This event will provide opportunities to connect with people across the state who are working to grow...
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Supporting Families with Children Prenatal through Age 5 - Help Me Grow Pierce County
Last month, Help Me Grow and First 5 FUNdamentals released their Parent Feedback Summary Report. Below is an excerpt, and you can access the full report in the attachment. Background In the fall of 2017, community leaders came together to brainstorm how to solve the child welfare crisis in Pierce County. 6,200 children entered out-of-home care in Washington State in 2017. Among all counties in the state, Pierce County experienced the highest number of children entering care, at 1,009.
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Talking ACEs and building resilience in prison
At Washington State Penitentiary, Tony McGuire talks to the inmates in his construction trades apprenticeship preparation (CTAP) class about ACEs, trauma and resilience every single day. Not only is he teaching the guys a trade, but he also teaches them how to be a healthy, happy and well-adjusted employee. Note: Becoming a healthy, happy, well-adjusted employee is way harder than basic carpentry, plumbing, electrical and HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning).
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Teaching Toys and Books: Supporting the emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of children (Tacoma Weekly)
It is no secret that parents today have a lot on their plates when it comes to raising their children. The modern world is constantly moving-moving-moving, and the amount of information being thrown at us all the time is enough to send anyone into serious overload. All the while, our precious wee ones are quite aware of what we’re doing with our cell phones, iPads and computers, with studies showing that too much screen time can change children’s brain structure, leading to depression,...
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Temple Grandin Has Some Great Tips to Help Kids With Autism Cope During the Coronavirus Quarantine (Parade)
By Deborah Wallace, April 3, 2020, Parade Parents who are working at home during the coronavirus quarantine face many challenges. But the boundaries between work and home life are blurred even more when your child has autism. To commemorate National Autism Awareness Month in April , international autism expert Temple Grandin spoke to Parade.com about how parents and caregivers can help their families thrive during this unprecedented time of isolation. Grandin, Ph.D., professor of animal...
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The Peace Bus
Times in our community have been challenging and traumatic recently. Shining a light on how we can come together and support one another is vital during this time, and is just what Kwabi Amoah-Forson is doing with The Peace Bus. This is incredible work and reflects the importance of connectivity at this time. Please consider supporting the work Kwabi is doing, and share with others to spread the word! Per his recent Facebook post: "Fear, division, and safety have been the reoccuring themes...
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United Way of Pierce County - Poverty Summit Update
Below is a brief update on our collective work being done since our annual poverty summit, From Poverty to Possibilities event, in November 2018. Advocacy – This is critical to address if we are to disrupt systems that are keeping people from getting ahead in life. Updates: Supported Project Child Success with their advocacy training and their Day on the Hill by informing poverty summit attendees about this opportunity to advocate for policies that will help reduce barriers to families...
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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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We Have to Better Understand What Foster Parents Need [chronicleofsocialchange.org]
By Ross Hunter, The Chronicle of Social Change, October 11, 2019 As a new leader in the child welfare space, I thought it would be worth my while to do some listening before I made any big changes. So I went on a tour all over the state of Washington. I talked to caseworkers, foster parents, birth families, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and anyone else I could find who had an opinion. I got an earful. “Everything is broken.” “I had a great experience.” “The caseworker never called...
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We Want YOU to be Part of The League of Extraordinary People
You are extraordinary. Writing this post feels like I have come full circle. In April of 2019, Alfred White reached out to me on ACEs Connection. Shortly after, we spoke at length about the plans he had to create a place of healing and hope in Federal Way and King County, Washington, specifically for individuals with a history of trauma and who were now impacted with symptoms such as addiction and homelessness. I recall sharing with Alfred that there was such a need for this in that...
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Re: Programs Help Incarcerated Moms Bond With Their Babies In Prison [NPR.org]
Such a positive story about women and children developing the skills and attachment that they will need to successfully transition into the community. It seems that the Washington prison system has been innovative for some time. More than ten years ago, when we traveled, we brought our well loved dog Lucky the prison to be boarded. They had a special program which allowed inmates to love and care for dogs that needed to be boarded. Our dog, Lucky was well taken care of and always so clean,...
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Re: Programs Help Incarcerated Moms Bond With Their Babies In Prison [NPR.org]
Hi Karen, Thank you for sharing your experience with the dog boarding program! I have heard great comments about it from others as well. One thing that I love about the WCCW Early Head Start program, is that the women have a voice and are able to participate in PSESD's Policy Council! "Family involvement and leadership are critical to the success of our programs. Policy Council representatives, who are elected by their respective sites' parent groups, work in tandem with program...
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Hope, healing, and a Spring Break
THE EASTER BONNIE , aka Bonnie Schmidt of Port Angeles, gave her preschoolers little baskets of farewell last week. On the porch of her Little Rhythms Learning Center, she placed packages of belongings the kids had left behind, plus art supplies and fond notes to each family. No hugs allowed. School is over for the rest of the academic year, following Gov. Jay Inslee’s mandate, and parents, children and educators must cope with the loss. Now and going forward: How can we, as a community,...
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ACEs screening is about building relationships, says early adopter
Whether or not to screen for ACEs in primary care is an important debate—and I hear and respect the passion from both sides of the argument. I fall in the “pro-ACE assessments” camp, but with some important caveats. I think that assessments for ACEs are dramatically different from screening for autism or developmental delays. In my opinion, assessments for ACEs in primary care should be primarily about building relationships.
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DCYF Strategic Plan Feedback Survey - needs your input!
Before the creation of DCYF, funding and services were not always connected. The draft strategic plan helps our agency focus on how we serve children, youth, families and our communities as one entity. This framework helps to build on existing funding and services to strengthen our ability to serve families as well as to disrupt racial inequity and disproportionality in our systems. There is more work ahead for us to accomplish the priorities set out in the draft plan. The process to gather...
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Ann Penn-Charles casts a wide net to reduce generational trauma in Washington State coastal tribes
You could say that Ann Penn-Charles, a native of La Push, Washington, was a natural resilience builder even before there was an ACE Study. La Push is a Native American reservation on the western edge of Olympic National Park, where the Quileute Nation ancestors of “Miss Ann”, as she is known, have lived for generations. Although she faced hardships growing up on the reservation, including having her first child when she was a junior in high school, she was able to graduate with the support...
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Column: New billboard campaign alerts us to adverse childhood experiences: ‘What is shareable is bearable’ [chicagotribune.com]
By Jerry Davich, Chicago Tribune, September 7, 2020 “Be loving. Be caring. Be there.” These three simple child-rearing reminders can do so much to curtail the barrage of adverse childhood experiences in what can be an abusive, neglectful society. “Adverse childhood experiences,” or ACEs, are defined as emotionally traumatic events that can occur any time before a child turns 18. These situations include divorce, domestic violence, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, parental mental illness and...
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Survey for ACEs Connection: PCEs, ACEs, and Health Outcomes
ACEs Connection, we need your help ! We are performing a research study to better understand the relationship between positive childhood experiences (PCEs), ACEs, and health outcomes in adulthood. All we need is 5-10 minutes of your time and your honesty to complete the following anonymous survey. With your help we can find a better way to combat ACEs and to support the development of children into resilient adults. Just a little bit more about the survey: This survey is sponsored by the...
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Prevention is Essential: Collective Impact Coalition Promotes Safe, Stable, Nurturing Relationships and Environments for All Maryland’s Children
When members of Maryland’s State Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (SCCAN) began in 2006 to examine what their state was doing in the realm of prevention, they discovered a gaping hole. Many participants in the 23-member Council—people working in child welfare, mental health, law enforcement and advocacy groups—knew about ACEs and about the corrosive effects of early childhood maltreatment. But they discovered, through informational interviews across different sectors and an environmental...
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'A Better Normal:' Can universal ACEs screening be equitable? -- Concerns and solutions
Can universal ACEs screening be equitable? A conversation about concerns and solutions. When: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2-3:30 pm PDT/5-6:30 pm EDT This webinar explores what it takes to ensure that equity is built into the process of screening and providing support for families who have experienced trauma and want help. REGISTER HERE Background At the beginning of this year, California, through the ACEs Aware initiative began rolling out universal screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs),...
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NOW AVAILABLE ON DEMAND: The Repressed Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Adult Well-Being, Disease and Social Functioning: Turning Gold into Lead (Dr. Vincent J. Felitti) [avahealth.org]
The ACE Study reveals how typically unrecognized adverse childhood experiences are not only common, but causally underlie a number of the most common causes of adult social malfunction, biomedical disease, and premature death. Moreover, it enables one to see that the Public Health Problem is often an individual’s attempted Solution to childhood experiences about which we keep ourselves unaware. A renowned physician and researcher, Dr. Vincent J. Felitti is one of the world’s foremost experts...
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Online workshop Nov 30, Dev 7 & 14 - Reimagining Resilience - Through a Trauma Lens
For more information and to register - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/124637117975 Reimagining Resilience: Using a Trauma Lens helps adults build positive relationships with children who have experienced trauma. We will explore the impact of adverse experiences and the effect they have on developing brains and student behavior. The course gives teachers, parents, and other adults working closely with kids the skills they need to make sure that every child knows that they matter. An online...
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Recording Available: Supporting Early Learning Students Remotely
Click here to watch the recording of Supporting Early Learning Students Remotely: Implementing Relationship-Based Strategies During COVID-19. This presentation was offered from Rise to Resilience. Rise to Resilience was created to support individuals and organizations primarily within the education field, as well as others who serve children and families in varying capacities. For more information, visit www.risetoresilience.org and follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/resiliencetogether.
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Seeking Executive Director for Children's Mental Health Organization
Are you a leader who is passionate about supporting a team of professionals that help transform the lives of children and families? Jumping Mouse Children’s Center offers unparalleled support to our staff, health benefits, and opportunities for professional growth. We pride ourselves on carrying reasonable caseloads to encourage a personal/work life balance. About Jumping Mouse: Located in Port Townsend, Washington, Jumping Mouse Children’s Center is a nonprofit founded in 1999 to address...
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Barbara McInvaille
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Ariel Pooley
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Washington OKs 1st statewide missing Indigenous people alert (newsbreak.com)
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday signed into law a bill that creates a first-in-the-nation statewide alert system for missing Indigenous people. The law creates a system similar to Amber Alerts and so-called silver alerts, which are used respectively for missing children and vulnerable adults in many states. The system will notify law enforcement when there’s a report of a missing Indigenous person. It will also place messages on highway reader boards and on the radio and social media,...
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EXCITING NEWS – PACEs Connection is BACK!
Former PACEs Connection employees Dana Brown (L) with Vincent Felitti, MD, co-author of the 1998 Adverse Childhood Experiences study, and Carey Sipp (R) in San Diego in January, 2024. The last few months have been quite challenging, but we pushed, persevered, and didn’t give up hope. The “we” is Carey Sipp and Dana Brown. We were long-time staff members of PACEs Connection determined to reinstate the website and the resources and information we provide to communities after the platform went...
