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photo/ CCO Children, in what should be the safety of their homes, experience trauma, and it is ruining lives -- and perhaps entire ethnic groups. Childhood trauma actually alters the structure of the brain – a result of consistent toxic stress, which is why it’s so difficult to heal an individual and help them attain a healthy life. Dr. Anthony Pico The science that was the springboard for making those linkages began with a now famous Adverse Childhood Experiences study of over 17,000...

Hi everyone, I wanted to share this article with you; it does a great job at reminding those working in trauma-informed care to maintain a strengths-based mindset that highlights strength and resiliency, as well as one that encompasses environmental and political factors in trauma. This author uses the term 'healing centered engagement' to promote a holistic and communal view of healing: A healing centered approach is holistic involving culture, spirituality, civic action and collective...

Zero to Three Resource- extracted from website and with discussion text by Karin Hecht (September 14, 2018) Bonding activities between parent and child can be a great way to help a child’s development and strengthen the relationship. The Zero to Three website has great resources for child-centered activities to help little ones learn and grow. One particularly useful resource for parents and care providers are a collection of stage-by-stage age-based tips and what to expect as your baby...

New for You: BCR staff will introduce the new Pair of ACEs Infographic template and how to obtain local data to create a Pair of ACEs infographic with details specific to your community. When : Tuesday, September 18 th from 1pm – 2:30pm EST Register at go.gwu.edu/pairofaceswebinar The Building Community Resilience (BCR) collaborative will host a webinar featuring lessons learned using one of our most potent messaging tools: the ‘Pair of ACEs’ - a dverse c hildhood e xperiences in the context...

Hi ACEs community! In case you haven’t already seen it, the Wrestling Ghosts team wanted to share with you a TED Talk we recently came across that we love. Called: “Daring to Question the Way We Raise Children,” this talk explores strategies and opinions by Ruth Beaglehole, founder of Echo Parenting . We think a lot of you guys would find it really interesting, so check it out! The Wrestling Ghosts team is so thankful for the connections we’ve already made within the ACEs community. Our film...

A Guatemalan mother falls to her knees as her seven-year-old daughter walks through the door. They've been separated for 55 days, and the mother is completely overcome with emotion. She embraces her child, rocking her and rubbing her back, openly weeping and speaking to her daughter in Spanish. When she pulls back, the child's face appears somewhat frozen, but she clearly has tears in her eyes; her mother wipes her face with the tissue she has been clutching. This video from CNN is just one...

Early Childhood Australia (ECA) is rolling out a new program for educators — Early signals. First Responses. Funded by the NSW Domestic & Family Violence Innovation Fund the program will resource and support early childhood educators and carers to better recognise and respond to young children who have been exposed to or have experienced family violence. The focus of the Innovation Fund on long-term prevention and early intervention strategies is aimed at ensuring educators receive...

Despite a reversal of the Trump administration family separation policy, as of July 2018, more than 2000 children remain separated from their parents or legal guardians. 1 In an article published in JAMA, Howard A. Zucker, MD, JD, and Danielle Greene, DrPH, of the New York State Department of Health, suggest that child-parent separation during an already tumultuous and emotionally strenuous event may exert greater long-term physical and mental health effects on children than is currently...

Thank you to everyone who came to our first trauma informed care two-day training! It was great to see many of you there - to connect names to faces and re-connect with some of you. There was a lot covered in a relatively short time, and we appreciate all of your enthusiasm and openness throughout. Although you were all there to be trained, I was struck by the experience and knowledge each of you bring to the group. I hope that as we continue, you not only learn from the curriculum but from...

Sara is a young, pregnant, single mom who didn’t know where to start. There were so many wolves at the door and she had no clue as to which one to take on first, or even if any of them could be driven away. Her toddler son had just been removed from another child-care center due to behavioral challenges. Without child care, Sara was on the brink of losing her job, which meant the family would be evicted from their apartment and forced to live on the streets. It seemed she had nowhere to...

Hi everyone, In case you missed the email, the monthly CDSS Bridge Program TA call for August has been cancelled, but will resume in September. Best, Gemma

Contents Conferences & Trainings Trauma-Informed Care Two-Day Training, 8/28-29 Communities of Practice Early Childhood Mental Health Conference, 9/13-15 Webinars & Calls CDSS Bridge Program TA Call, 8/28 TIC Training & Coaching Learning Community Call, 9/11 How Boosting Emotional Intelligence Improves Your Ability to Effectively Lead Your ECE Program, 10/3 Resources ACEsConnection Monthly Highlights Staff Recruitment Resources Technical Assistance Contact Information Conferences...