How the Resources Center works

Welcome to the ACEsConnection.com Resources Center!

As of October 2016, we are launching this new version. We think that it's a skeleton of its future self, i.e., we'll be adding more categories and more information to each category.

Our goal is to make this useful, but not so chock full of content that you don't know where to start. In other words, we’re curating carefully, not cataloguing. 

A couple of important points about our approach: We believe that any trauma-informed/resilience-building program -- no matter whom it's for -- should start with the foundation of adverse childhood experiences science, which includes:

1. the epidemiology of adverse childhood experiences (the ACE Study and expanded ACE surveys),
2. the neurobiology of toxic stress caused by ACEs (especially the effects on a child's developing brain),
3. the health consequences of toxic stress (especially as an adult),
4. the epigenetic consequences of toxic stress (how the effects of ACEs are passed on from generation to generation),
5. resilience research, which shows that the brain is plastic and the body wants to heal.
   
   

Also, please note that for specific sectors, we're creating resources in those sectors' interest groups. For example, to find resources in education, you'll be directed to the lists in the ACEs in Education group. We're in the process of overhauling our interest-based groups, so resources for juvenile justice, child welfare, etc., will be added in the coming weeks. 

We have set this up so that ACEsConnection members can add resources. That's the way this resource will grow and will be most useful for everyone. If you want to add something to a particular list, make sure you're a member of this Resources Center group (scroll down until you see About this Group in the right navigation bar, and click on Join). Then just add your resource in a comment at the bottom of that list. We'll review and, if it's useful and in the right place, we'll include it. 

For some of the categories, such as training and staff development, we know that in the not-too-distant-future, there will be many more programs available than we can keep up with. So, we will be adding a series of questions for you to ask -- a consumer's guide, if you will -- to give you starting point for evaluating if a program or service or practice is right for you.   

And if you have any suggestions for the Resources Center overall, please add them here in the comments section. We'll be adding new categories -- such as handouts, elevator pitches, MOUs, etc. -- soon. If you want something that you don't see, please let us know.

We want this Resources Center to be as useful as possible.