Tagged With "Reaching Out"
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12 MYTHS ABOUT ACEs -- AND THE 12 MYTHS SKILLFULLY DEBUNKED
Author: Jane Stevens Founder, publisher ACEs Connection The two biggest myths about ACEs science are: MYTH #1 — That it’s just about the 10 ACEs in the ACE Study — the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study . It’s about sooooo much more than that. MYTH #2 — And that it’s just about ACEs…adverse childhood experiences. These two myths are intertwined. The ACE Study issued the first of its 70+ publications in 1998, and for many people it was the lightning bolt, the grand...
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71 ACEs Initiatives Join ACEs Connection in 2019
We are proud to celebrate the 71 community initiatives that joined the ACEs Connection network in 2019. They are listed below, and can be found along with all existing ACEs Connection communities via the ACEs Connection map. Communities in the United States: Midwest ACEs Indiana Coalition Ardmore (OK) Behavioral Health Collaborative: BOUNCE - Jefferson County (KY Chisago County (MN) ACEs Initiative Franciscan Health ACEs Connection FH–Jasper & Newton Counties (IN ) FH–LaPorte County (IN)...
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ACEs' Strong Effects in Adults . . . and A Resilient Survivor
Addressing ACEs in Adults is Key (https://twitter.com/ACEs_Canada) In response to the post about the effects of ACES in adults cited above, Treva Massey from Tennessee wrote the response below that tells of the suffering caused by ACEs in later life—and the resilience that gives hope and purpose to life. I wrote to ask her permission to repost her response on our site, and she graciously permitted me to do so. I think that her post will be of great interest to those who follow the VBRP site...
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Children's Resilience Can Be Strengthened in a Crisis (originally published in Mommy Underground)
Use Your Family Crisis To Teach Your Children Resilience Photo by Ben White on Unsplash With over 10 million Americans applying for unemployment, it’s clear our country is going through a rough patch. Whether your home is experiencing economic hardship, or simply grieving the loss of a school year or extracurricular activities, chances are your children are facing tough times. Even worse, they’re feeling it. Maybe they don’t exactly understand what the coronavirus is, and how a virus could...
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Coping and Hoping
Love in the time of Coronavirus: HOPE-informed thoughts for parents Bob Sege 22 hours ago reposted from https://positiveexperience.org/ HOPE – Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences – is a new way of seeing and talking about experiences that support children’s growth and development into healthy, resilient adults. We now know that that even in the face of adversity, key positive experiences help us heal. Join our ACES Community to find out more about Balancing ACES with HOPE , and visit...
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FOSTERCARE IS A GREAT NEED -- AND A HUGE CHALLENGE -- IN RURAL AROOSTOOK COUNTY
April Belyea -- a kindergarten teacher at Teaque Park Elementary School in Caribou -- and her husband Chris Belyea have cared for nine foster children, and adopted two, since becoming foster parents eight years ago. Too many kids, lack of childcare challenge Aroostook County foster care system By Melissa Lizotte , The Star-Herald (Presque Isle, ME) • February 7, 2020 11:21 am CARIBOU, Maine — When April and Chris Belyea of Caribou first became foster parents eight years ago, they knew they...
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Maine Resilience Building Network: Catalyzing a Statewide Movement
In 2019, the Maine Resilience Building Network grew up. After seven years of operating as a volunteer-driven, grass-roots, cross-sector coalition devoted to building resilience for the state’s children, families and communities, MRBN developed a business plan, applied for non-profit status and hired its first two paid staff. That work was supported by the Bingham Program, a charitable endowment at Tufts Medical Center and a longtime funder of MRBN, formed in 2012 to educate individuals and...
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Northeast and Mid-Atlantic trauma leaders share successes and challenges at May 1 networking meeting
Leaders in ACEs/trauma/resilience movement from nine states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and the District of Columbia gathered for a networking call on May 1 to learn about flexible funding opportunities for states under the CARES Act, ways to get involved in advocacy, and share their successes and challenges in building statewide coalitions. The meeting of leaders was organized by ACEs Connection and the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP) in response to COVID-19...
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Routines Will Help Kids and Families Cope During the School Shutdown
Parenting in a Pandemic Damon Korb, M.D. Follow Mar 16 · 6 min read Staying organized is the key to keeping your sanity. It is a well-known fact that children thrive when there are routines. This time of year most children wake up, get dressed, eat their breakfast, head off to school where they move from class to class, come home and have a snack, do some homework, have some free time or participate in an afterschool activity, eat dinner, and then get ready for bed. The daily life for most...
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Some On-Line Resources to Help Kids Progress During the COVID-19 Experience
Education resources, including mental health, for kids, families during coronavirus pandemic Lara Kain (ACEs Connection Staff) 9 minutes ago We have an abundance of helpful links and posts swirling online to support families and school systems as we adjust to our new normal of learning while self-isolating at home. Thousands of free academic resources from the NYT student writing prompts, to the Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppressive Homeschool Resource list, to this excellent collection from...
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There's A Need for Coordinated, Integrated Therapy for Early Psychosis: This Article Describes California's Program
For Young People With Psychosis, Early Intervention Is Crucial B y Brian Rinker November 6, 2019, Kaiser Health News Andrew Echeguren, 26, had his first psychotic episode when he was 15. He was working as an assistant coach at a summer soccer camp for kids when the lyrics coming out of his iPod suddenly morphed into racist and homophobic slurs, telling him to harm others — and himself. Echeguren fled the soccer camp and ran home, terrified the police were on his heels. He tried to explain to...
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TENNESSEE STUDY LINKS CHILDHOOD TRAUMA TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Below I have extracted some information from an excellent article in the Johnson City (TN) Press about the link between ACEs and substance abuse. ( https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Health-Care/2019/09/02/Clear-link-between-childhood-trauma-and-substance-abuse-addiction-doctor-says.html ) We have witnessed that phenomenon in our own area, and this article reinforces our anecdotal information. I have added some information (highlighted ) comparing Maine statistics to the Tennessee numbers. AN...
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THE MAINE RESILIENCE BUILDING NETWORK
The Maine Resilience Building Network (MRBN) is a statewide organization dedicated to educating Maine citizens about ACEs and promoting resilience among those in our state who are suffering the negative effects of ACEs. MRBN meetings are held in Waterville whenever a fifth Thursday occurs in a month. Their meetings not only provide superb programs but also give the members a chance to network with other agencies in the state who work with people affected by ACEs. VBRP is a member agency of...
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Thoughts from Alaska for us at VBRP as We Work Together for Resilience
The following letter went out to the list serve of the Alaska Resilience Initiative on Monday, February 24th. I am sharing it here, upon the recommendation of a mentor in the Trauma and Resilience Movement, because the reflections on lessons learned may be useful to those in the broader ACEs movement: __________________________________________________________________________ Dear Alaska Resilience Initiative Family, I am writing you to announce my resignation as the Director of the Alaska...
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Two studies shed light on state legislators’ views on ACEs science and trauma policy
New and returning lawmakers take the oath of office on day one of Washington state's 2017 legislative session. — Jeanie Lindsay/Northwest News Network As advocates prepare to see how ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) science, trauma, and resilience play out in the 2020 state legislative sessions — many beginning in January — they are undoubtedly asking: “What does a legislator want?" It may be a stretch to play on Freud’s question: “What does a women want?", but the query captures how...
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We must respond to the health crisis of adverse childhood experiences
Julio Cortez | AP In a photo taken Tuesday, July 2, 2019, Scott Hopewell, right, a student holistic specialist, gives a high-five to a child during a group session in a "peace room" at New Song Community Learning Center in West Baltimore. In Baltimore, a city enduring an out-of-control surge of gun violence that shows no sign of abating, there's been a growing realization that levels of youthful trauma, whether exposure is mostly from neighborhood or domestic dysfunctions, are alarmingly...
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WHAT IS THE STATUS OF CHILD CARE FOR WORKING MOTHERS IN MAINE?
From the Bangor Daily News, Bangor ME (3/17) A WORKING MOM'S DILEMMA by Matthew Stone NOTE: This article was written in March, 2017 during Gov. LePage's administration. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services under Gov. Mills is working to remedy the lack of affordable child care and to link child care, job training, and job creation. It's a work in progress, and the problems haven't been solved yet. Some of the statistics cited in this article are now out of date. Matthew Stone W...
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Montana Demonstrates How Community Groups Can Band Together to Make a Difference
BY: Anndee Hochman 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...
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Prolonged Stress In Childhood Impacts A Person For Life
I learned the impact of prolonged exposure to stress from my foster child By Jenn O'Connor June 6, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. EDT You know what stress is, right? You’re late for work, your car won’t start, gas costs more than you expected. We’ve all been there, and it’s not pleasant, that palm-sweating, heart-racing anxiety. Luckily, it’s not long-lasting — not toxic. What is toxic stress? It’s prolonged adversity and/or abuse — not having enough to eat or being exposed to violence. It’s the kind of...
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Will we see a 'wounded generation' because of COVID-19?
From: Modern Healthcare , June 4, 2020 (by David Woodlock) David Woodlock i s president and CEO of the Institute for Community Living, a not-for-profit human services agency that offers a wide array of residential, treatment, rehabilitation and support services to children, families and adults in New York City and Montgomery County, Pa. Much of the public policy debate about re-opening society after months of stay-at-home edicts balances today's need for health and safety with tomorrow's...
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The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2020 KIDS COUNT Data Book is Available for Download
THE 2020 KIDS COUNT DATA BOOK IS OUT! State Trends in Child Well-Being ABOUT THE DATA BOOK: The KIDS COUNT index reflects child health and education outcomes as well as risk and protective factors, such as economic well-being, family structure and community context. The index incorporates a developmental perspective on childhood and includes experiences across life stages, from birth through early adulthood. The indicators are consistently and regularly measured, which allows for legitimate...
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You'll Be Surprised To See How Relevant This Is For Aroostook County
Does Your Organization Unconsciously Operate with a White Supremacy Culture? 4 White Supremacy Culture Scenarios By IYA AFFO As we endure the pain of lost loved ones, manage the anxiety of financial insecurity and potentially fret over becoming ill, it is a brilliant time for change in our country and around the world. There is a special kind of racist exclusion in America. When I took my young son to live in India, initially, he struggled everyday on the bus to school. There was a lot of...
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Letter from Senator Angus King Pledging Support for Out of School (OST) Programs
Dear David, The challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic are unlike anything that we’ve seen in the last 100 years. The situation is changing rapidly, but this much is clear: we all need to change our behaviors and adopt common-sense approaches to protect ourselves and our loved ones. You can find links to resources and learn more about my recent actions via my website, www.king.senate.gov, and the two buttons above. As we continue to press forward, I still want to respond to your...
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Greater Richmond Trauma Informed Community Network, first to join ACEs Cooperative of Communities, shows what it means to ROCK!
In 2012, Greater Richmond SCAN and five other community partners hatched a one-year plan to educate the Richmond, Virginia, community about ACEs science and to embed trauma-informed practices. Eight years later, the original group has evolved into the Greater Richmond Trauma-Informed Community Network (GRTICN) with 495 people and 170 organizations. And they're just scratching the surface.
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THIS WASN'T THE FIRST TIME -- ACEs AREN'T JUST MEMORIES
TITLE: This wasn't the first time BY: Rafael Maravilla (ACEs Connection Staff) Going out to buy groceries, going out for a walk, driving your kid back home from school. For most people these activities are normal, everyday things with little to no excitement, as they should be. Unfortunately, getting food, exercising, and supporting my son’s education have been a little more out of the ordinary for me. You see, I am a Mexican Indigenous man, brown skin, shaved head. My ethnicity and physical...
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COVID-19 and its Effects on Young Children and Their Families
In the COVID Era: Stabilizing and Strengthening Young Children and Their Families BECKY HAAS 8/7/202:16 PM Becky Haas and Marlo Nash, co-authors of this article partnered to achieve a two-part goal. The first, to describe a systems-level need for early childhood, child maltreatment prevention and child welfare systems to integrate in response to the COVID pandemic. The second, to build off of the big picture need for change to offer a concrete, practical example for action centered on...
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CHILDREN NEED TO KNOW HOW TO DEFEND AGAINST BULLIES
How to Deal With Bullies: A Guide for Parents Mean kids aren't just a middle-school problem. The trouble has trickled to the youngest grades. Learn how to spot it—and how to protect children of all ages from bullies at school. By Stacey Colino, Laura Broadwell, Corinne Schuman, Suzanne Peck Bullying can exist in many forms: It can be physical (pushing, punching, or hitting); verbal (name-calling or threats); or psychological and emotional (spreading rumors or excluding someone from a...
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UNIVERSAL ACES SCREENING FOR CHILDREN -- GOOD IDEA? / BAD IDEA?
Painful Questions: What Happens When Doctors Uncover Adverse Childhood Experiences? By Karen de Sa and Nadra Nittle • Aug 19, 2020 (EXCERPTED FROM CALIFORNIA HEALTH REPORT) Illustration by Christine Ongjoco. California launches widespread screening for adverse childhood experiences. Critics question the science, and the consequences. Has your child ever lived with a parent or caregiver who went to jail or prison? Has your child’s parent or caregiver ever had depression, schizophrenia,...
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OST -- an effective response to homeless children's needs
Out-of-school Time Activities a Vital Part Of Oklahoma School For Homeless Students By Stell Simonton Posted on September 29, 2020 PHOTOS BY SIMON HURST PHOTOGRAPHY A child reads to Kelly Berger, Positive Tomorrows’ director of family support, in the school family room.First of several in a series (EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of several articles in an occasional series about the intersection of OST and students experiencing homelessness.) Last spring, a teacher in Oklahoma City,...
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VBRP AND AMERICORPS TEAM TO DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN TO DELIVER SERVICES TO OUR UNDERSERVED AREA IN NORTHERN MAINE
VBRP recently received a grant from Volunteer Maine / AmeriCorps to design a strategic plan to use the talents and experience of AmeriCorps members to help deliver needed (and absent) critical services to our very underserved area of northern Maine. The grant fits in well with our mission to (1) educate the members of our community about the prevalence and the lifelong negative effects of adverse childhood experiences, and (2) to engage them in developing activities and programs that promote...
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SOME THOUGHTS ON ADDRESSING AND PREVENTING SCHOOL-RELATED BULLYING
Bullying Prevention: Understand Bullying and How to Help Amy Johnson Chong in MSW CAREERS ( https://mswcareers.com/bullying-prevention-intervention/ ) Part 1. Too Close to Home As a social worker, child therapist, and mother of two school-age children I have been paying close attention to bullying prevention initiatives. My own anxiety for my children has increased as they have gotten older and entered Middle and High School. Is my daughter being excluded from her old social group? Is my son...
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EPIGENETICS, ACES, and ADHD An article by Kristen Hovet
The Kids Are Not Alright https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2020/10/30/childhood-trauma-kids-not-alright-part-explanation-may-linked-epigenetics/ This article or excerpt is included in the GLP’s daily curated selection of ideologically diverse news, opinion and analysis of biotechnology innovation. K ids are resilient. Kids bounce back. Tell that to Dave Brethauer , a performance coach in Chicago, who told Genetic Literacy Project that he spent the better part of his adult life “fighting to...
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Preparing for a cold, hungry winter: Food insecurity and heating costs add to COVID-19-related ACEs in Maine
In the morning hours of a sunny October Sunday in Dover-Foxcroft, over 50 cars sit idle alongside North Street awaiting their turn to receive an allocation of food from the Dover-Foxcroft Food Cupboard. The organization served more than 150 individuals and families by the end of the day. Photo by Bailey Beltramo.
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PATIENCE, TENACITY, AND SUPPORT: A RECIPE FOR CHILDHOOD RESILIENCE
A Recipe for Raising Resilient Children - Skills and Factors that Contribute to Resiliency BETH TYSON 1 DAY AGO It's no secret that in 2021 mental health problems will continue on a steep rise for children and families. Resiliency is described by many as the ability to bounce back after facing hardships in life. It is a trait that we can develop, which is good news for those struggling right now. Tenacity is our lifeline for surviving the challenges of 2020, 2021, and beyond. This critical...
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HOW SCHOOL KIDS ARE AFFECTED BY COVID-19
Pediatricians: schools must reopen now to relieve children’s suffering From the San Diego Union-Tribune FEB. 7, 2021 6:06 AM PT By KRISTEN TAKETA ‘What we’re seeing is frightening because it is hard to see these faces. They are just empty,’ one pediatrician said. Pediatricians across San Diego County say they are deeply troubled by what they see school closures doing to children. Dr. Janet Crow, a pediatrician at UC San Diego, talks every day with middle and high school kids who are heading...
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ACES and PCES: There are ADVERSE Childhood Experiences -- but there are POSITIVE Childhood Experiences, too!
7 Positive Childhood Experiences that Help Kids Grow into Successful Adults Posted by Idaho Youth Ranch on May 1, 2020 5:00:42 PM Just as there are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that play a role in the future success of kids, there are also 7 positive childhood experiences (PCEs) that can offset their damage. This recent discovery comes from a John Hopkin’s study published in 2019. Researchers were looking to determine if any “protective childhood experiences” could be linked with...
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The wound of being ‘too sensitive’- Is it because of my childhood?
What developmental trauma is, how to recognize it, and tips for starting your recovery.
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A Trauma-Informed Approach to Vaccine Hesitancy (Sign On Letter Attached In First Line)
Please sign onto and share this memo supporting using a trauma-informed approach to decreasing vaccine hesitancy! Many of the challenges we are facing with vaccine hesitancy can be better understood by looking at the issue through a trauma-informed lens. The following memo has been developed with input from many of the clinical and academic thought leaders from the trauma healing field to offer supportive guidance to the Administration. To successfully address this challenge, we need to...
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The college essay that proves Positive Childhood Experiences work for my family
I am going to give you a little context before I share the College Essay that prove PCEs DO mitigate ACEs. I was young when I had my first born and his life started off rocky. His father asked me to abort him when I was 8 months pregnant right after he was discharged from the military for being an alcoholic. We tried to make it work and the alcohol won. My infant son and I moved away across the country to start anew, never looking back. I struggled for a long time trying to get on my feet. I...
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What Young Mainers Want YOU to Know About the Covid Vaccine
The winning submissions to the Maine CDC’s short videos contest for students ages 5-17.
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Talking About Mental Health Issues Is Not Attention-Seeking
Originally posted by Nikki Kay on Medium “People who go on and on about how messed up they are seem like they’re just looking for attention or sympathy.” “At some point you have to grow up and get over it.” How many times have you heard these arguments used against survivors of childhood trauma? After all my work recovering from my own childhood an d speaking out about trauma recovery, it will come as no surprise how close to home these comments hit every time I hear them. I feel indicted by...
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Aroostook Agency on Aging Offers New Classes and Opportunities in February
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Staying well allows us to live better lives. Through group classes, informational sessions and events, the Aroostook Agency on Aging staff and volunteers share topics and techniques that are intended to help all people age well.
We offer monthly programs developed to help older persons and their care partners succeed and thrive in their own homes.
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The expanded child tax credit briefly slashed child poverty. Here's what else it did
Blink and you could have missed it.
For six months, the United States experimented with an idea that’s new here but is already a backstitch in the social fabric of many wealthy nations: a monthly cash payment to help families cover the costs of raising children. Less than a year in, though, this U.S. experiment, known as the expanded child tax credit, has already been unwound by a deadlocked Congress.
Still, it’s worth asking: What did it accomplish? Here’s what the data tells us.
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Flavors Hook Kids in Maine
Tobacco companies have developed an array of menthol, mint, candy, and fruit-flavored products in colorful packaging to attract new users and keep them using tobacco. The tobacco industry knows that 95% of adult smokers start by age 21, so these flavored products aren’t for adults. Flavors hook kids!
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Nightmares and ACEs: They No Longer Need Rule the Night
Recurring nightmares lead to much needless suffering for survivors of adverse childhood experiences—suffering that goes well beyond disturbed sleep. Five steps help take back the night.
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Small victories for the PACEs movement are included in the Omnibus Spending bill for FY’22
The massive bipartisan $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill for FY ’22 signed by President Biden on March 15 contains funding that demonstrates a growing awareness and support in Congress for programs and policies to address trauma. The incremental nature of the legislative process makes it difficult to see progress readily but there are bright spots in this legislation to celebrate.
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Kids and adults need lessons in life skills now more than ever
In this world of pandemics and politics, emotional outbursts and adverse reactions are becoming more common among adults and children. So the question is, what can we do to stop it?
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America After 3PM: Promoting healthy futures
A look at how well-planned afterschool programming supports children, parents, and communities as a whole.
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Child Abuse: What Is It and What Can I Do To Prevent It?
While most people today know that child abuse exists, many don’t know what constitutes child abuse. This information, excerpted from an article by Dr. Stephanie Deutsch, gives us a good idea of what child abuse is, its different types, how to spot it, and what we need to do to ensure children are protected.
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Debunking the Kubler-Ross Five Stages of Grief
It's the middle of the night. My Nokia cell phone vibrates me awake somewhere under the covers, and I manage to locate it just enough to hit silent. A few moments later, the vibrating is present again. This time I look to see that it's my brother in a time zone three hours behind me, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm just too sleepy. The third round of vibration begins. "Alright, I better answer this"…. Me: "Hello?" Brother: "Mom's dead! Mom's dead!" (Heaving and sobbing). What...