Blog

Aloha, This is a great online resource that provides over 1500 links to educational activities that you can do at home with your keiki during COVID-19. I have clicked on several links and like that the materials (if needed) can be found around the home or outside and the use of open-ended questions. With the re-opening of our schools still in question, parents opting for 100% distance learning or what to do with the off-day from the "A/B" schedule- this resource can provide some great ideas...

By Ryan White, Center for Health Journalism, July 23, 2020 Harvard’s Jack Shonkoff, a luminary in the field of early childhood, has spent years showing that events in the earliest years of life have profound implications for how budding brains develop, and in turn, shape a child’s later potential at school and work. Now, Shonkoff says it’s time to connect the brain to the rest of the body. “The message now is to say that there is a revolution going on in molecular biology and genomics and in...

Telling the story of America’s babies is more important than ever. Last year, the inaugural State of Babies Yearbook: 2019 revealed that the state where a baby is born makes a big difference in their chance for a strong start in life. New data this year shows that even among states with high averages, significant disparities exist in the opportunities available to babies of color to thrive, as well as those in families with low-income, and in urban or rural areas. Now as our country faces an...

Karen Clemmer, the Northwest community facilitator with ACEs Connection, was already deeply interested in the CDC/Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study when she and a colleague from the Child Parent Institute were invited to lunch by ACEs Connection founder and publisher Jane Stevens in 2012. But that lunch meeting changed everything. Karen Clemmer “Jane helped us see a bigger world,” says Clemmer. “She came with a much wider lens. She didn’t look only at Sonoma County, she...

This is a great article that shows how Alaska Native are showcasing their cultural practices that promote wellness and resilience. One comment is that wellness and resilience is "part of their way of life. I think this article can spark conversations in how our cultural practices promote wellness and resilience.

HYSN presents: Trauma Informed Care Strategies for Approaching and Responding to Youth During COVID-19 Choose One - July 20, 22, 23 or 29 | 10 a.m. HST During the transition from home back to school/work, teachers, service providers and caregivers can develop a trauma-informed approach with youth. Various assumptions can be made on the individual experiences our youth have been having, but with an overall framework of creating an open, curious and safe environment, youth can be met with...

Is there a connection between historical trauma that our ancestors may have endured and our response to mind and body's response to stress and trauma? Does epigenetics serve as the fine line between "nature v.s. nurture?" This article is a very interesting read- I would like to have an open dialogue about this article. Danny

Please welcome our newest community sub-group to ACES Connection. I am planning to reach out to them and develop a New Zealand/Hawai'i connection. The greeting message from the New Zealand ACES Community Manager: Kia ora, I was born and raised in NZ and I live in Papakura which is located in South Auckland. I am a mother of four beautiful children and grandmother of three granddaughters with more to come. I am Maori (indigenous people of NZ) and whakapapa to Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa Ngati...

This book, written by Charlie Mackesy, is an amazing story of a boy who is exploring life and comes across three very different characters that provide guidance, reflection and leading questions that guides us on our life journey. During these tumultuous times this book provides comfort and material for self-exploration through journaling as well as questions that can be used in group-run exercises. The book is beautifully illustrated by the author and offers a significant amount of space in...

JoAnn Farnsworth, a true champion for infant mental health in Hawai'i provided the recommendation of this excellent article from the National Institute for Children's Health Quality. The article provides keen insight into how we can provide protective factors- buffers, for children who have gone through stressful times.

Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell, the widely respected and cultural icon of kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) stated that a traditional way for kanaka to greet each other was to say, "Pehea kou piko?" The piko that he is referring to is the belly button- the connection to our mothers through the umbilical cord- as well as our connection (even emotional connection) to the current world that we are living in. Dr. Blaisdell is quoted as saying, "The gut in the tradition of kanaka maoli is the seat of all...

"Asking “why?” in one study appeared to cause the participants to fixate on their problems instead of moving forward." Check out this article and be the one to start the dialogue in our communities that will help us all move forward together! https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/