While the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic and social fallout have certainly had adverse effects in the lives of young children today, adverse childhood experiences – or ACEs – are certainly not unique.
In fact, a social network right here in Orange County is dedicated to bringing community members, health care professionals and leaders together to collaborate across sectors to prevent ACEs, heal from trauma, and build resilience in Orange County.
Affiliated with the national ACEs Connection website, the Orange County ACEs Connection promotes trauma-informed and resilience-building practices and policies in communities and institutions — from schools to prisons to hospitals and churches — to help heal and to develop resilience in people who’ve been affected by trauma.
As we’ve previously mentioned, ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur in children before age 18 and can include physical and emotional abuse, neglect, substance abuse, caregiver mental illness and household violence. And, according to the CDC, nearly 1 in 6 adults reported experiencing four or more types of ACEs in their lifetime.
The Orange County ACEs Connection is just one of the many groups dedicated to building resilience to ACEs through educational workshops, school partnerships and community outreach.
If you’re interested in joining a group and engaging in conversations that help adults, children, parents and educators navigate the challenges they are facing as a result of ACEs, please consider visiting the ACEs in Education and Parenting with ACEs websites.
Additionally, below are a few upcoming virtual trainings offered by ACEs Aware.
Strategies for Mending Our Wounds: Recovering from School Crisis through Art and Ritual
Jan. 7, 2021
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PST
Link to register
4th Annual Creating Trauma Sensitive Schools Conference – Parent Track
Feb. 15-18, 2021
Link to register
This is the latest in a series of ACEs-related stories from the OCDE Newsroom. If you have a story or resources you’d like to share, please email us at communications@ocde.us.