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California Essentials for Childhood Initiative (CA)

The California Essentials for Childhood Initiative uses a public health and collective impact approach to align and enhance collaborative efforts to promote safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for children, youth and families through systems, policy and social norms change.

Tagged With "Center on the Developing Child"

Blog Post

Child Well-Being a Mixed-Bag in Still-Rocky Economic Climate, Says Casey Report [JJIE.org]

Samantha Sangenito ·
The lives of children improved by some measures during recent years, but their opportunities still are constrained by persistent family and neighborhood poverty, says the 2016 Kids Count Data Book . The annual report by The Annie E. Casey Foundation looks at measures of child well-being at the state and national level in four categories. Broadly, this year’s findings show gains in education and health — but some setbacks in measures of economic well-being and family and community, according...
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Children are Better Positioned to Develop Resilience with Strong Family Connections [thesector.com.au]

Marianne Avari ·
By Freya Lucas, The Sector, July 1, 2019. The likelihood of flourishing – that is, doing well in life despite adversity – is true for children across all levels of household income, health status and exposure to adverse childhood experiences. The findings, published in the May issue of Health Affairs , suggest that more emphasis should be placed on programs to promote family resilience and parent-child connection, in conjunction with continued efforts to lessen children’s negative childhood...
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Children Aren't Born Resilient... Caring Adults Give Them Resilience

Gail Kennedy ·
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/new...5/05/path-resilience Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child has posted three wonderful short (3-minute) videos on resilience. The Science of Resilience describes how protective experiences and...
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#ChildrenCanThrive Day of Action: How to Address Early Childhood Adversity and Build Resilience in Children - February 18th

Donielle Prince ·
On Thursday, Feb. 18, join the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW) for a day of action to raise awareness about adverse child experiences and the health effects of toxic stress in children.
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Congressional Briefing Addresses Public Policy to Improve Response to ACEs

In the final weeks of the 114 th Congress, Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) welcomed her colleague Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) as a new host in the third and final briefing on addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The December 1 briefing focused on public policies to improve coordination, prevention and response to childhood trauma. In addition to joining forces to raise awareness of the impact of ACEs, Senators Heitkamp and Durbin are drafting legislation based on a framework they...
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Consulting Position at Strategies 2.0

Michael G Williams MSW ·
Are you ready to lead transformative change for children and families in California? Strategies 2.0, at the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Sacramento CA, is looking for a Senior Training and Technical Assistance Specialist who will help grow knowledge and networks for professionals working with families--through impactful consulting to collaborations and organizations, training to direct-service teams, and regional movement-building among family-building and community-building leaders.
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Could the U.S. Get Paid Family Leave? It’s Looking Better Than Ever [nytimes.com]

Alicia Doktor ·
New baby. Sick parents. Personal illness. Regardless of the circumstances, taking unpaid time off is not an option for many Americans. But some relief may be on the horizon. Leaders from both sides of the aisle have recently expressed support for some form of a paid family leave program at the federal level. (As President Trump put it in his State of the Union address last week: Nationwide paid family leave would ensure that “every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn...
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Creating a 21st Century Child Well-Being System [HuffingtonPost.com]

Samantha Sangenito ·
As National Child Abuse Prevention Month draws to a close, we take time to reflect on how we protect young children and make new plans to move forward. The final report of the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities seems a fitting, though sorrowful, place to start. According to the Commission’s report, between 1,500 and 3,000 children — three-quarters of them babies and preschool-age children — become fatalities each year as a result of maltreatment, ending short lives...
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Crossroads of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Developmental Disabilities

Kim Slouf ·
Physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, child life professionals, and other patient service providers are invited and encouraged to join a webinar entitled: "Crossroads of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Developmental Disabilities" Increased levels of toxic stress, which can be caused by recurrent or chronic exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), can impair neurodevelopment, behavior, and overall health of a child (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services...
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CYW releases "Children Can Thrive: A Vision for California's Response to ACEs"

Jane Stevens ·
The  Center for Youth Wellness  released a new report “Children Can Thrive: A Vision for California’s Response to ACEs”.     This report is a follow up to last November’s Children Can Thrive Summit.  ...
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December 2016 California Essentials for Childhood Newsletter

Marissa Abbott ·
California Essentials for Childhood released its sixth newsletter in December 2016. The full newsletter can be found attached. Check it out!
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Developing Healthy Minds: It’s Never Too Early to Start! [Blog.SAMHSA.gov]

Samantha Sangenito ·
The human mind is one of the most complex structures in the universe. Even in early infancy, it is capable of taking in a wide variety of inputs. Still, in our early years, we’ve only unlocked a small portion of its potential. Our brains actually continue to develop into our twenties . Accordingly, the U.S. Government embraces a definition of youth that continues until we turn 25. Nurturing the development of young minds to stay healthy through adulthood is a primary goal of SAMHSA’s Project...
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Directory of Regional Coalitions or Advisory Bodies

Elena Costa ·
The California Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative is collecting information to assist in connecting organizations and community members to local and/or regional coalitions or advisory bodies working on efforts that improve the lives of children and families in California. The purpose of this effort is to assist with creating a directory that will be publicly available to increase engagement in policy, systems, and environmental change efforts that prevent and reduce child...
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Dr. Ken Epstein Speaks About Trauma-Informed Work

Gail Kennedy ·
In recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month, the California Departments of Public Health, Health Care Services and Social Services, and multiple community partners welcomed Dr. Kenneth Epstein to speak about his work highlighting trauma and resilience-informed practices. The event was also co-sponsored by ACEs Connection Network, Kaiser Permanente, and UC Davis Medical Center. Dr. Epstein leads the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s (SFDPH) Trauma-Informed Systems Initiative,...
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Dr. Melissa Merrick Explains CDC's Vital Signs/ACEs Report [Prevent Child Abuse America]

Jane Stevens ·
Dr. Melissa Merrick, president & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, provides four key takeaways from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest Vital Signs/ACEs report , of which she is the lead author. Merrick also identifies several practical solutions for creating the conditions for safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments for all children, families and communities, which are fundamental to preventing ACEs. Among these solutions is strengthening economic...
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Dr. Melissa Merrick Named New President & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America [preventchildabuse.org]

Marianne Avari ·
Prevent Child Abuse America, June 18, 2019. Chicago—Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) announced today that after a nationwide search its board of directors has selected Dr. Melissa Merrick (right) as the organization’s next president and chief executive officer. Merrick brings more than 18 years of clinical, research and leadership experience related to the etiology, course and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Merrick currently serves as a senior epidemiologist at the National...
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Early Childhood Education Matters—Here’s How to Make It Great [PSMag.com]

Samantha Sangenito ·
By the time a low-income child enters kindergarten in America, they’re already woefully lagging their more advantaged peers — 11 months behind in math and 13 months behind in reading, according to a recent report from the Center for American Progress. (Chart: Center for American Progress) The figure at left, from the CAP report—“How Much Can High-Quality Universal Pre-K Reduce Achievement Gaps?”—illustrates the gulf between both low- and high-income children and minority and white children.
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Early Childhood Providers, Systems Leaders, Communities: Timely! Please Answer Early Relational Health Questionnaire

Susanne Walker Wilson ·
Early Relational Health (ERH) – is an emerging framework that elevates the primacy of relational experiences as foundational for life-long health, learning and social-emotional wellbeing and has relevance across the child and family-focused fields of pediatrics, public health, infant-child mental health, early learning, child welfare and early childhood community systems. Please take 10 minutes to answer this questionnaire, offered by the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP). CSSP's...
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Economist outlines reforms to improve access to affordable, high quality child care [medicalxpress.com]

Alicia Doktor ·
For families in the U.S., the costs of high-quality child care are exorbitant, especially for those with children under age five. A new policy proposal, "Public Investments in Child Care," by Dartmouth Associate Professor of Economics Elizabeth Cascio, finds that current federal child care tax policies are not benefiting the families most burdened by child care costs. Therefore, Cascio outlines a new policy that could replace the current federal child care tax policies. The research examines...
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Essentials for Childhood Case Study: Collective Impact through Strategic Opportunities

Elena Costa ·
The California Department of Public Health, Safe and Active Communities (CDPH/SACB), Steve Wirtz and Marissa Abbott co-authored a case study showcasing the methodology, successes, and opportunities for improvement from the 2013-2018 Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative. Read more about the lessons learned and how the EfC Initiative will move forward from 2019 and beyond by clicking the attachment below.
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Essentials for Childhood Framework

Emerald Montgomery ·
From the CDC’s Injury Prevention & Control, Division of Violence Prevention: "Safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments are essential to prevent child abuse and neglect and to assure all children reach their full potential. The Essentials for Childhood Framework proposes strategies communities can consider to promote relationships and environments that help children grow up to be healthy and productive citizens so that they, in turn, can build stronger and safer families and...
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Essentials for Childhood Initiative 5/13 Webinar: Health Equity and COVID-19: Opportunities to Improve Child Wellbeing through Policy

Elena Costa ·
The Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative invites your participation in a webinar entitled, “Health Equity and COVID-19: Opportunities to Improve Child Wellbeing through Policy” taking place on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM for a special guest presentation with Dr. Flojaune Cofer, Senior Director of Policy with the All Children Thrive (ACT) California project. This interactive webinar will examine what success could look like in addressing COVID-19 by describing equity...
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Essentials for Childhood Initiative Membership Re-Convenes!

Elena Costa ·
The California Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative , a collaborative project between the California Department of Public Health, Safe and Active Communities Branch (CDPH/SACB) and the California Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention (CDSS/OCAP) has received funding to continue efforts through August of 2023 to decrease child maltreatment risk factors and increase protective factors to provide safe, stable, nurturing relationships, and environments (SSNR&E)...
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Essentials for Childhood Initiative: October 30th, 2019 Convening Summary Document

Elena Costa ·
The California Department of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB), (formerly the Safe and Active Communities Branch) and the California Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention (CDSS/OCAP), co-hosted an Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative convening on Wednesday, October 30, 2019. This event, entitled “Defining Goals and Strategies to Achieve Child Wellbeing,” took place at the California Endowment in Sacramento from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM...
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Fact Sheet on Resilience and Child Traumatic Stress from National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Julia Wei ·
This four-page fact sheet provides questions and answers about child traumatic stress and resilience, which is the ability of a child to recover and show early and effective adaptation following a potentially traumatic event. Topics include what resilience looks like in children, what factors might enhance resilience in children after traumatic events, and some initial steps to enhance recovery during treatment or services.
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Federal funding opportunity primary prevention of abuse and neglect

Tory Henderson ·
The purpose of this FOA from the federal Administration on Children, Youth and Families - Children's Bureau is to fund cooperative agreements that support the development, implementation, and evaluation of primary prevention strategies to improve the safety, stability, and well-being of all families through a continuum of community-based services and supports. During the project period, grantees will address site-specific barriers and mobilize communities to prevent child maltreatment,...
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ACEs Science Champions Series: First 5 San Mateo County (CA) Forges Ahead with Trauma-Informed Initiative

Sylvia Paull ·
Each year for the past 20 years, First 5 San Mateo County has spent nearly $7 million to help meet the needs of children from birth through age five, and support their families. In 1998, First 5 was established and funded in California by Proposition 10, which funneled tobacco tax dollars into transforming the early childhood system and guaranteeing better outcomes for all counties in the state. In January 2018, the First 5 San Mateo County started a planning committee based on incorporating...
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Five Million U.S. Children Have Had a Parent in Prison, Report Finds [PhilanthropyNewsDigest.org]

Gail Kennedy ·
More than five million children under the age of 18 — approximately 7 percent of all children in the United States — have at least one parent who has been incarcerated, a report from  Child Trends  finds.  ...
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Free For a Limited Time: The Raising of America – Early Childhood and the Future of our Nation (Documentary)

Holly White-Wolfe ·
We are pleased to inform you of another opportunity to view the acclaimed documentary series, The Raising of America – Early Childhood and the Future of our Nation . In honor of Week of the Young Child (April 10-16), National Public Health Week and National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the series will be made available online for free for a limited time from April 1-17! Please see details below. As you may know, this important film shows how a strong start for all our kids leads to a...
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Friendly Neighborhoods and Less Child Spanking May Reduce Likelihood of CPS Involvement, Study Says [chronicleofsocialchange.org]

Alicia Doktor ·
There may be a relationship between the spanking of children, the type of neighborhood the children live in and the likelihood of a report of abuse or neglect to Child Protective Services (CPS), according to a new study published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect. The study looked at a sample of 2,267 children drawn from Princeton University’s Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study . Researchers at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University compared that group...
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Futures Without Violence - Safe, Healthy, and Ready to Learn

Julia Wei ·
Interesting report from Futures Without Violence: Safe, Healthy, and Ready to Learn: Policy Recommendations to Ensure Children Thrive in Supportive Communities Free from Violence and Trauma
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Handling Your Child’s Challenging Behaviors at Every Age: New Parenting Guide from Yolo Child Abuse Prevention Council/Yolo County Children's Alliance

Natalie Audage ·
The Yolo County Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) and Yolo County Children’s Alliance (YCCA) are excited to share our new parenting guide: Handling Your Child’s Challenging Behaviors at Every Age. This resource for parents and caregivers provides positive discipline tips and resources to handle challenging behaviors in babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school-age children, and teenagers. Each age group page has: tips on how parents can connect with their child, some common challenging...
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Helping Working Families Succeed: Paid Leave in the Spotlight [ascend.aspeninstitute.org]

Marianne Avari ·
By Anne Mosle, Ascend: The Aspen Institute, May 28, 2019. Earlier this month, the House Ways and Means Committee held the first hearing this Congress on paid family and medical leave. As witnesses shared their testimony and legislators asked questions and made statements, it became clear that there is bipartisan support for ensuring working people should not have to choose between their family and a paycheck. We will all need to give or receive care at some point in our lives, and we all...
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Hidden Crisis Report - ACEs in CA

Gail Kennedy ·
Attached find the full report from Center for Youth Wellness (CYW) d ata report  of ACEs in California, prepared in partnership with Public Health Institute (November 6, 2014).    
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How Work-Life Balance Helps a Baby’s Brain [LinkedIn.com]

Samantha Sangenito ·
Most of us understand that a baby’s earliest months and years are the most critical for brain development. But did you know that a baby’s relationships with parents and caregivers actually stimulate that process? That’s right: An infant’s connections to nurturing, trusted adults help build the foundation for emotions, language, behavior, memory, physical movement – you name it. Right from the start, as parents, we need to bond with these brand-new little people, teach them how the world...
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In Spanish: Handouts for parents about ACEs, toxic stress & resilience

Jane Stevens ·
The Community & Family Services Division at the Spokane (WA) Regional Health District has come through again, with a Spanish version of the parent handout (in English) that we posted last year , and which has been downloaded thousands of times. The English versions came about whiledoing a story about the trauma-in formed elementary schools in Spokane, WA .I interviewedp ublic health nurse Melissa Charbonneau who said that she'd been giving an...
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Infancy and early childhood matter so much because of attachment (theconversation.com)

We are born to connect. As human beings we are relational and we need biological, emotional and psychological connection with others . Attachment is the relational dance that parents and babies share together. You can think of this when you see a baby look at their parent and they catch each other’s eyes in a wonderful gaze: the parent smiles and the baby smiles and then the parent kisses and the baby coos. Or, when an infant cries to tell their parent they are hungry, and the parent picks...
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Infants and Toddlers Need Strong Parents [clasp.org]

Alicia Doktor ·
Parents play the most active and significant role in their baby’s healthy development. Young children learn and grow in strong families where parents are able to successfully face the challenge of nurturing their children. During the first three years of life, experiences are shaping a child’s brain and providing the foundation for later development. Parenting support services, which range from informational resources to more intensive interventions, can help improve parenting skills,...
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Interactive: Reducing Child Poverty in California [ppic.org]

Alicia Doktor ·
This interactive tool allows you to explore how changes to housing costs, minimum wage, and the social safety net could affect child poverty statewide and in your county. We find lower housing costs and minimum wage increases could lower child poverty substantially—while helping Californians across the income spectrum. And though investments in California’s safety net would need to draw from the state budget, these approaches could also reduce child poverty considerably—while concentrating...
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Journal Article: “Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout Among Refugee Resettlement Workers: The Role of Coping and Emotional Intelligence.”

Elena Costa ·
An article published in Journal of Traumatic Stress (Akinsulure‐Smith, A. M., Espinosa, A., Chu, T., and Hallock, R., 2018, 202–212, (https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22279), promotes an enhanced understanding of the impact of refugee resettlement work on refugee resettlement workers by examining the prevalence rates of toxic mental health and occupational outcomes, such as secondary traumatic stress and burnout, among a sample of 210 refugee resettlement workers at six refugee resettlement...
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July California Essentials for Childhood Newsletter

Marissa Abbott ·
California Essentials for Childhood has just released its fifth newsletter. The full newsletter can be found attached. Check it out!
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Local Researchers' study shows: Trauma support for welfare recipients helps them earn more [medicalxpress.com]

Leslie Lieberman ·
People on welfare can earn more money in their jobs—and potentially leave the program—if the trauma they've faced since childhood is addressed, Drexel University research shows... "Financial education without the trauma-informed peer support had virtually no impact on improving income and in promoting health," said Mariana Chilton, PhD, director of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities and professor in the Dornsife School of Public Health. "Once the trauma-informed peer support was mixed...
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Love in the TIme of Coronavirus: Inequities and Supporting Children

Bob Sege ·
This blog is re-posted from positiveexperience.org/blog/ Link there for associated resources, and for the other blogs in the series. Having safe, stable, and equitable environments to live, learn and play forms the second of the 4 Building Blocks of HOPE. Children need homes where they feel safe and secure and have their basic needs met. Children thrive in an environment that encourages curiosity and provides opportunities for learning to play and interact with other children. Today’s blog...
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Low pay for child care workers puts more than half at poverty level, study finds [edsource.org]

Alicia Doktor ·
A majority of child care workers in California are paid so little they qualify for public assistance programs, according to a new report on the early education workforce. Fifty-eight percent of child care workers in California are on one or more public assistance programs, such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families , a federally funded program that helps pay for food, housing and other expenses, the report by UC Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Child Care Employment found. This is...
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Low wages undermine efforts to improve the quality of preschools, federal report says [EdSource.org]

Samantha Sangenito ·
Efforts in California and other states to raise the quality of child care and preschool programs are being undermined by the low wages that workers earn in jobs that now require more skills and education, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Education released Tuesday. In California, preschool teachers were paid an average salary of $31,720 in 2015, about half of what California kindergarten teachers earned that year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the report said.
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Make Time for Yourself—A Self-Care Guide for Busy Parents from Yolo County Children's Alliance

Natalie Audage ·
Yolo County Children’s Alliance is excited to share our new self-care resource for parents and caregivers for Child Abuse Prevention Month. Make Time for Yourself—A Self-Care Guide for Busy Parents talks about the importance of self-care and provides many ideas to try. The guide is available in English, Spanish, and Russian at www.yolokids.org/forfamilies/ . To help parents prioritize self-care, the guide divides specific self-care ideas into those that only take 5 minutes to do and those...
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MARC Brown Bag Webinar Series: September Sessions & Archives

Clare Reidy ·
Join Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) for a series of free, short (45-minute) webinars with national leaders who will share some of their expertise and engage in dialogue with you on key strategies for creating just, healthy and resilient communities. Seats are limited, but recordings will be available after each session. Register at MARC.HealthFederation.org/BrownBag for the following sessions: Thursday, September 7 @ 1pm ET Melissa Merrick, PhD —Preventing Child Abuse and...
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Maryland Essentials for Childhood Hosts Advocacy Day at the State Capital

Ruby Parker ·
Maryland Essentials for Childhood, a statewide initiative educating policy makers and communities on the science of ACEs, developing brains, and how we can build resilience for children, families and communities in Maryland, is poised to meet with Maryland elected officials this coming Thursday, ,February 7th, 9-1 pm. We will educate legislators on the science and policies that reduce or mitigate ACEs and other childhood trauma. Key policies being considered by the General Assembly are:...
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Maternal and Child Health Journal Call for Papers: The ACE Study: Implications for MCH Policy and Practice

Alicia St. Andrews ·
Findings of the ACE Study have had a swift and substantial impact on MCH policy, practice and research. This issue of the journal is intended to provide a forum to enhance knowledge of the Study and its implications across the field. Topics of interest include: The aims and findings of the ACE Study, The implications of the Study and use of Study findings to shape MCH practice in clinical, program and policy settings, The import of the Study in relation to life course theory and the social...
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May California Essentials for Childhood Newsletter

Julia Wei ·
California Essentials for Childhood has just released its fourth newsletter. The full newsletter can be found attached. Check it out!
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