January 2021

The Community of Practice (C of P) is an interdisciplinary, online platform for adults who are important to children. Among other topics, we explore how systems, environments, and documentation shape early childhood learning and wellness. We grow our ability to be curious about children's full-being, inherent wisdom by being curious about our own ways of knowing and inquiring. We are peer accompaniment with each other - support for the supporters of children, families, and communities. Join...

We're excited to share this behind-the-scenes story of how the Ready4K team collaborated with First 5 Del Norte to create the country's first trauma-informed text message support program! Hear directly from Angela Glore, executive director of First 5 Del Norte, about how she and her partner organizations worked together to connect the dots between community health goals and early learning opportunities. It's a fascinating story of how this rural community set out a big, hairy, audacious goal...

Chloe Yang, 1/6/21, positiveexperience.org/blog Happy New Year from the HOPE National Resource Center! In the new year, you can expect to see even more workshops, partnerships, and resources from the HOPE team. We look forward to another year of engaging with you, learning from our conversations and collaborations, and bringing HOPE to families and children across the nation. In this post, we’ll share some upcoming events and developments to watch out for in the near future. 2021 National...

My dear friend, Linda, is currently recovering from her second heart transplant due to congenital heart failure. This time she received a kidney, as well. We have been friends for decades and I have learned tremendous life lessons from her as I watched her face death many times. I’ve translated this wisdom to my own life and it has helped me move through the murder of my young son in his first grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I also use what I’ve learned to effectively manage...

In Spring 2021, the Traumatic Stress Institute will convene a 12- to 16-month Pilot Learning Collaborative for organizations serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) that are interested in implementing trauma-informed care (TIC). TSI is uniquely positioned to convene this Learning Collaborative having helped more than 70 organizations across North America embed TIC into the fabric of their organizations. For detailed information about the Learning...

By Laura Mucha, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), January 2021 Why is love so important in childhood? In this ground-breaking new series by UNICEF, Laura Mucha – author, poet and children’s advocate – interviews some of the world’s leading experts to find out. The series sets out to cover how adversity impacts us as children and the adults we become, what we can do to protect and improve young people’s mental health, and why safe and loving relationships are so vital for children’s...

By Zinzi D. Bailey, Justin M. Feldman, and Mary T. Bassett, New England Journal of Medicine, December 16, 2020 In the 5 years since one of us published “#BlackLivesMatter — A Challenge to the Medical and Public Health Communities” in the Journal, 1 we have seen a sea change in the recognition of racism as a durable feature of U.S. society and of its high cost in Black lives. Elected officials, corporate leaders, and academics alike use the slogan “Black Lives Matter,” which has also been...

By Karen D'Souza, EdSource, January 5, 2021 Throwing a tantrum, crying inconsolably, hitting or biting, and refusing to follow the rules are challenging behaviors that many preschoolers experience on the playground and in the classroom. For many children, these tear-stained incidents are quickly forgiven and forgotten, dismissed by caregivers as yet another tumultuous developmental stage to be weathered. But for some youngsters, the incidents have repercussions that resonate throughout their...

By Katherine Martinelli, Child Mind Institute, January 2021 We hear kids say negative things about themselves all the time: “I’m so stupid!” “Nobody likes me.” And, of course, “I’m fat.” Or “I’m ugly.” Sometimes these things are throwaway lines, or fishing for reassurance. They may be harmless. But what experts call negative self-talk can also reflect an unhealthy tendency in kids to think the worst of themselves, and that can lead to—or be a sign of—something more serious. What is...

By Yoav Gonen and Eileen Grench, The City, January 3, 2021 A Brooklyn community’s experiment to deal with a longstanding crime hotspot in a busy commercial corridor took a new approach last month: They pulled back on policing. Cops from Brownsville’s 73rd Precinct withdrew from their regular posts on Mother Gaston Boulevard for parts of a five-day stretch in early December, while violence interrupter and crisis management groups watched over the two-block zone between Pitkin and Sutter...

(l to r) Elaine Miller Karas co-developer of CRM; Jim Sporleder, former principal of Walla Walla High School; and Edwin Weaver at the 2018 ACEs Conference & Pediatric Symposium in San Francisco. After watching the late Jamie Redford’s 2015 film, “ Paper Tigers ,” about a Washington state high school where ACEs integration transformed graduation rates, Edwin Weaver knew he had to take action. Weaver is the executive director of Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley , providing social services...