Part II: The Public Health Approach for Cutting ACEs and Toxic Stress in Half within a Generation:
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Prevention Strategies in Education (PDF)
According to the Roadmap for Resilience, “Among the most direct and profound effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress is their impact on learning and school success.” This sector-specific guide includes strategies for preventing and addressing ACEs and toxic stress in educational settings, along with research, case studies, and information on the impacts of COVID-19 on learning.
Number Story’s partnership with Get Lit – a Los Angeles based arts education non-profit that works to increase literacy, empower youth, and inspire communities through spoken word poetry – features young poets using their powerful, unique voices to raise awareness about the impacts of early adversity. These creative pieces demonstrate the power of personal storytelling, and are amazing inspiration for using creative expression to build resilience among students, staff, or families.
Nearly half of all children have been exposed to at least one ACE. These students often enter school with behaviors that don’t blend well with the typical school environment. How can a school community come together and work as a whole to establish a healthy social-emotional climate for students and the staff who support them? This workbook-style resource shows K-12 educators how to make a whole-school change, where strategies are integrated from curb to classroom. Readers will learn how to integrate trauma-informed strategies into daily instructional practice.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed a library of resources on schools, including:
This site hosts a community group to share ideas on mitigating the effects of adverse childhood experiences in the K-12 environment, including a resource list of guides and toolkits.
In December 2021, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory highlighting the urgent need to address the nation’s youth mental health crisis. The advisory outlines the pandemic’s impacts on youth mental health, as well as the mental health challenges that existed before the pandemic. The advisory followed the declaration of a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health by a coalition of the nation’s leading experts in pediatric health. The Surgeon General’s advisory provides recommendations to improve the mental health of children, adolescents and young adults, including a section titled “What Educators, School Staff, and School Districts Can Do.”
This page features highlights of school mental health resources from the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network, funded by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Learn simple tools for lifelong well-being with evidence-based programs for school communities. Yoga Ed.’s programs support social and emotional learning and mental health through mindful movement. Through their trauma-informed, equity-centered approach, you’ll learn how to help your students feel safe, engaged, and supported as they explore yoga and mindfulness that is accessible by, relatable to, and available for all. Yoga Ed. offers a wide range of training options, classes, and resources to support physical and mental health – from certificate programs and streaming classes, to brain breaks and downloadable lesson plans.
Hanna Institute equips and empowers individuals and organizations with the trauma-informed tools they need to help people in their community. From comprehensive trauma-informed care training and certifications for individuals and organizations to large-scale program partnerships, the Institute works alongside youth and community to break the cycle of trauma and create a healthier and more hopeful future. For more information on the Hanna Institute – and on trainings specifically for educators, please contact Christine Feenstra, Partnership Development Manager at cfeenstra@hannacenter.org.
Explore the principles and building blocks of HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences), the positive experiences that support children’s growth and development into healthy, resilient adults.
Learning for Justice strives to be a catalyst for racial justice, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people. Their free educational resources – articles, guides, lessons, films, webinars, frameworks and more – help foster shared learning and reflection for educators, young people, caregivers and all community members. Resources are available on topics including race and ethnicity, religion, ability, class, immigration, gender and sexual identity, bullying and bias, rights and activism, COVID-19, and teaching honest history.
At the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), they envision all children and adults as self-aware, caring, responsible, engaged, and lifelong learners who work together to achieve their goals and create a more inclusive, just world. How? Through a commitment to social emotional learning.
We Are Resilient™ is a free, open educational resource. We Are Resilient™ can help you and others face challenges more effectively, make better decisions, have more honest relationships, and be the person you want to be. You will find practical, researched based skills to build your resilience. Resilient adults are connected, adaptable, and ready for change.
