Blog

April 9th : "A Better Normal" Community Discussion Series April 9th: Strengthening Families Webinar: Flourishing Families April 10th: "A Better Normal" Community Discussion Series April 13th: Origins Training & Consulting: Tips on Being Resilient During a Pandemic via Facebook Live April 14th: Webinar: Trauma: An Essential Component of Women’s Services April 15th: Origins Training & Consulting: Tips on Being Resilient During a Pandemic via Facebook Live April 16th: Webinar: Meeting...

Webinars and on-line Training -- You are free to sign up for any of them. April 9th : "A Better Normal" Community Discussion Series April 9th: Strengthening Families Webinar: Flourishing Families April 10th: "A Better Normal" Community Discussion Series April 13th: Origins Training & Consulting: Tips on Being Resilient During a Pandemic via Facebook Live April 14th: Webinar: Trauma: An Essential Component of Women’s Services April 15th: Origins Training & Consulting: Tips on Being...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

(Photo of the State House by Troy R. Bennett, BDN) The following article was featured in the Bangor Daily News of January 31, 2020. Now is the time to mend Maine’s frayed mental health safety net By Malory Shaughnessy, Opinion guest column • January 31, 2020 2:40 pm There’s a common thread that connects some of the most important issues facing Maine today — issues that the governor has highlighted and the Legislature is struggling to address. Whether it’s criminal justice reform , closing...

Please join this ACEs Connection co-sponsored webinar "Making Meaningful Change: Addressing ACEs through Public Policy" on Feb. 18 (11:30 am-1:00 pm ET) presented by the Health Federation of Philadelphia and MARC (Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities). In this webinar, three nationally recognized experts will discuss policy and advocacy strategies on a local, state, and national level using evidence from studies they have conducted with legislators and the general public. Speakers...

By Joyce Schelling, Bangor Daily News, December 16, 2019 Maine has the nation’s highest rate of anxiety and the third highest rate of depression among children ages 3-7. It is above the national rate for behavior problems and children diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Attention Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD). The average number of suicides per year by youth under age 20 is well above the national average and has risen by 50 percent in just five years. It’s time to ask if these frightening...

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)...

New Documentary "Baby Brain" Toxic stress occurs when a child experiences strong, frequent, and/or prolonged adversity without adequate adult support. This prolonged activation of the stress response systems can have a cumulative toll on an individual's physical mental health. What does this mean for babies born into the disadvantages of poverty? A new documentary from Yahoo News, " Baby Brain ," explores the relationship between toxic stress and intergenerational poverty, and the ways we...