Adverse childhood experiences are prevalent in the United States, yet those who report the highest number of traumatic events are individuals already more at risk to health disparities—minority, economically disadvantaged populations (Turney, 2020). ACEs affect many children based on surveys reported by adults asked to reflect on their childhood experiences. According to the CDC, nearly 61% of adults surveyed across more than half of the United States reported experiencing at least one type of ACE, and about 1 in 6 reported experiencing four or more ACEs (CDC, 2020). Failure to minimize exposure to traumatic events or provide trauma-informed care to children during adolescence leaves individuals on a path for life-long health risks and increased likelihood of early death. For children who are non-white and grow up in less affluent neighborhoods, exposure to adverse experiences is exacerbated and resources are often less accessible than in more affluent, white geographic areas. For example, in the United States, the percentage of black or Hispanic children who have experienced at least one ACE is 10-20% higher than White and non-Hispanic children (Sacks & Murphey, 2018).
The goal of the Universal ACEs Screenings & Interventions program is to provide trauma-informed care in the academic setting for students who are already at increased risk for adverse childhood experiences. By training adults in the school how to appropriately respond to children in crisis, providing them and students with additional tools to work through challenges, and informing them about the impact trauma has will lead to a stronger, more informed support system. Knowledgeable, trained adults can better provide a responsive, safe learning environment where students can be successful. Students will show improved academic outcomes as a result of a more supportive learning environment.
The target audience is school-aged children living in low-income neighborhoods. Specifically, Title I schools would be targeted as the highest priority campuses to identify children who are more likely to have multiple adverse childhood experiences. IDEA Public Schools is a public charter school network that serves this population and operates schools in low-income cities in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas ("History - IDEA Public Schools", 2022). All IDEA Public Schools serve the same population, so this program will be rolled out in all three states. Students in all K-12 grades will be eligible.
This program will focus on screening, assessment, and treatment services. Funds will pay for medical professionals such as nurse practitioners to come to campus to conduct ACE screenings. Medical professionals will share data with the school, which will be used to identify highest need students. Those students will then be referred to an on-site social worker who can provide individual and family counseling services based on each student’s specific needs and ACE screening results.
To ensure there is a continuum of care, teachers will be trained in Restorative Practices to help children throughout the day and build a positive campus culture and safe environment. Regardless of whether each student who is screened needs additional counseling services, they will engage with trauma-informed teachers who have gained skill and knowledge in how to teach with empathy, identify signs of distress, and deescalate situations in a productive manner. The goal of these activities is to help students building healthy coping skills and feel safe, which will impact both their short-term and long-term health outcomes.
This project will be deemed successful through several measures. The three main outcomes of this project are 1) staff deliver trauma-informed care to students 2) students show academic improvement as a result of the program and 3) students and families demonstrate a positive change in attitudes, beliefs and behaviors as a result of the program.
References
History - IDEA Public Schools. (2022). Retrieved from https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/history/
Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences |Violence Prevention Injury Center |CDC. (2020).
Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violencepr...tudy%2Ffastfact.html
Sacks, V., & Murphey, D. (2018). The prevalence of adverse childhood experiences, nationally, by state, and by race or ethnicity. Child Trends, (03), 1-20.
Turney, K. (2020). Cumulative adverse childhood experiences and children’s health. Children And Youth Services Review, 119, 105538. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105538
Comments (0)