Combating Adverse Childhood Experiences

“How one handles success or failure is determined by their early childhood.”

~ Harold Ramis

Image from the Children’s Institute

What are ACEs?

ACEs is an acronym that stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences. These experiences are usually traumatic events or circumstances that children are exposed to such as witnessing or experiencing abuse, facing hunger, experiencing a significant loss at a young age, living with guardians who suffer from mental health issues or addictions, or even physical events such as being in a car accident or surviving a dangerous natural disaster. There are a wide variety of experiences that can be categorized as ACEs. The toxic stress from ACEs can greatly affect and change brain development which will negatively affect how the body responds to stress.

Our educators are taught and trained to identify how to help students who go through traumatic experiences. It is important to know how to help our students so that we can support children in the development of their resilience. Building a child’s resilience is an essential step when helping students overcome their adversities. We may not be able to control what happens to us in life, but we can control our actions/reactions, our outlook, and our drive to reach our future goals and dreams. Young children may have difficulty expressing their emotions and may have a hard time explaining how an event is affecting them, so it is important to learn the signs that may tell if a child is experiencing some form of trauma or other negative experience. In the classroom, children may present with a variety of challenging behaviors. This may look like a child exhibiting clingy, or conversely, isolating behavior, passive/quiet behavior, regressive behaviors like bed-wetting or baby talk, aggressive and/or mean behaviors or generally disruptive behaviors. Many may look at these behaviors and question “what’s wrong with this child??” but at CDP we ask “what’s happened to this child?”. Many challenging behaviors have a deeper cause, and the CDP team works very diligently with each child and each family to learn what may be behind the challenging behavior. We also have to be on the lookout for medical-related issues, as stress often results in health-related challenges- even for young children. According to the Center for Youth and Wellness, “Children exposed to ACEs may also exhibit physical health issues like asthma, sleep disturbances, frequent infections, frequent headaches or stomach aches”.

As we have learned, ACEs can present in many different ways, but the effects can cause serious harm to a child’s mental and physical health.

Image from the Kaiser Foundation.

How Children’s Day Helps Create Resilient Children :

Here at CDP we are proud of the work we do with our students and their families. From our curriculum in the classrooms to the therapists that provide support, to our family workers who work with our families, we make sure to provide the services and support our students need to be successful not just in the classroom but throughout their day-to-day lives.

Our teachers work with the students to make sure they are gaining academic and social-emotional skills appropriate to their age level. We create positive learning experiences in the hopes of igniting their passion for school and learning. In our preschool classrooms, we develop the foundation our students will need across their entire journey in education.

Here at CDP we also have our wonderful art therapist who works with our students to create positive ways they can express their emotions while supporting them through the issues that they face. Our art therapist also works with our teachers to provide students opportunities in the classroom where they can use art as a coping mechanism for their positive mental health. Not only do we have an art therapist, but our school has a consulting speech therapist that works with students one on one and in small groups. This is in addition to any services that are provided to children with identified special needs through the local Child Study Team or Early Intervention.

While all of the services we provide are important in the development of a child, we believe what sets us apart in combating the ACEs epidemic is that we prioritize working with the whole family to support them in their day-to-day experiences and work with them to identify and reach their goals. We understand the different adversities that families can face, and we work to build a safe and trusting environment so that our families can utilize our support when they are facing challenges. We support our families by connecting them with services and resources and providing them extra support through our family workers. Often, we make strong personal connections with our families and are honored to have the opportunity to play a big role in their success stories. From our parent programs to our active involvement and communication with them, our families know that they can reach out to us even after their child has graduated from our program. By supporting families we are also advocating and supporting our children.

From the Center for Child Counseling

How You Can Help Combat ACEs :
Strategies to help reduce ACEs in families include promoting safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for children and families. Look for education programs that have an emphasis on early prevention; and those that promote strengthening economic supports for families. Other strategies involve ensuring a strong start for children by enrolling them in a childcare setting that provides early childhood home visitation, high-quality child care, age-appropriate educational preschool programs, and enhanced primary care services for screening, referral, and support.

While the term ACEs is relatively new, the effects of ACEs have been around for a long time. Many adults can relate to the experiences referred to in this article- and if not supported, may still be dealing with the effects of those challenges today. If this describes you or someone you know, we recommend seeking support through a mental health provider.

This world is full of challenges, but when we can support each other through those challenges, we have the opportunity to change the world. Talking about the common adversities experienced within and around our communities leads to healing, and it is our hope that this article provides you with information to help you build your own resilience and the resilience of everyone around you.