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Children who are exposed to abuse, domestic violence or other stresses are far more likely to develop long term health problems, says new research. The Public Health Wales study looks at adverse experiences in childhood (ACEs) which include parents separating. Children with four or more ACEs, around 14%, are three times more likely to get lung or heart disease later in life. One senior health figure said instead of "mending broken adults" a focus was needed on "building stronger children".

Pasta, sushi, tacos, samosas, and pad thai: In the U.S., enthusiastic eaters will likely be able to name traditional dishes from a wide variety of cuisines around the world. But most of us couldn’t name a single Native American dish from any one the vast network of tribes, cultures, and cuisines that spread across the U.S. before Europeans arrived. Today, farmers, activists, and chefs are trying to change that. They're bringing back Native foods—not just to teach all Americans about the...

A positive school climate boosts student achievement. It includes a system of supportive and caring teachers, a safe learning environment, student connectedness and parental involvement. Since conditions like these support the interests of a school’s major stakeholders, it is very important for them to know if they’re in a positive climate. That’s why educators need to measure school climate, according to “Research Synthesis of the Associations Between Socioeconomic Background, Inequality,...

African-American boys in elementary school are less likely to be suspended or expelled if they have a teacher who is black, a study released Tuesday suggests. If black male students have black teachers, their rate of removal from school for behavioral issues is reduced by 2 or 3 percent, a small but statistically significant drop, according to a peer-reviewed study in Education Next , a journal published by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the Kennedy School of Government at...

BECOME A BBZ The Best Babies Zone Technical Assistance Center (BBZ TAC) is seeking applications for the enrollment of two (2) teams in a new cohort of three (3) Best Babies Zone implementation communities. Selected applicants will serve as backbone organizations to promote community-driven, multi-sector work addressing the social and structural determinants of inequitable birth outcomes. Click here to download the Application Click here to download the Appendix A and B Tables On Thursday,...

(L to R) Teri Barila from Children's Resilience Initiative in Walla Walla, WA along with Dr. Ariane Marie-Mitchell from San Bernardino County, CA ACEs Task Force share their ACEs journey in their communities Representatives from several MARC communities were among the 450 people who attended the 2016 Adverse Childhood Experiences Conference in San Francisco, CA on October 19th and 20th. This is the third CA ACEs conference sponsored by the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW), and it was also the...

The U.S. Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health and Med-U are seeking Federally-Employed Physicians to Peer Review electronic case-based learning modules. The purpose of Trauma-Informed Medicine ( www.traumainformedmedicine.org ) e-cases initiative is to produce and implement a comprehensive set of online, interactive clinical cases for healthcare providers. These cases focus on the impact of trauma (abuse and neglect) and how healthcare practitioners can provide trauma-informed...

Secure, trusting bonds are essential if young people are to grow, learn, and thrive (Baumeister, 2011; Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Van Bockern, 2005; Shulevitz, 2013). Today there are literally millions of young people disconnected and living in violent communities with over stressed families and schools that are depersonalized. They traverse dangerous communities and the ecology in which they live is one of extreme levels of toxic stress. The most troubled and troubling kids display...

There are rating systems for hospitals, nursing homes and doctors. So why is it so hard to compare providers of child care? Part of the reason is that there are no nationally agreed-upon standards for what determines the quality of child care. The standards that do exist are formulated in each state, and they vary widely. For example, some states require that child care workers have a teaching certificate. Others require certain college courses. Some have strict ratios of how many caregivers...

Every day at Weiner Elementary School starts with a dance party, usually to Best Day of My Life by American Authors — and that's before the 7:50 a.m. bell even rings. Then comes the morning assembly, where all 121 students and the staff gather for 20 minutes in the cafeteria of the school in Weiner, Ark. They sing songs and learn about an artist, a musician and an international city of the week. They celebrate birthdays. A lucky student is crowned Student of the Day. And Pam Hogue makes it...

On Nov. 8, California voters will consider Proposition 57 , a ballot initiative that would bring much-needed reform to the state’s juvenile and criminal justice systems. The measure, championed by youth justice advocates and Gov. Jerry Brown, is predicated on the values of rehabilitation and second chances. If passed, Proposition 57 will extend opportunities for parole consideration, invite a revision to the prison system’s earned credit scheme and place the decision to transfer youth to...

By age three, young children from lower-income families have heard 30 million fewer words than children from upper-income families. Research shows that these inequities during the preschool and kindergarten years largely persist throughout life. At this month’s Clinton Global Initiative America Meeting, The National Diaper Bank Network announced that it is thrilled to be teaming up with Too Small to Fail , a joint initiative of the Clinton Foundation and The Opportunity Institute, to provide...