Supporting Resiliency to Shape a Healthier Future

Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years). For example:

• experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect

• witnessing violence in the home or community

• having a family member attempt or die by suicide

Also included are aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding, such as growing up in a household with:

• substance use problems

• mental health problems

• instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison

Lifelong impacts on health and overall well-being from experiencing ACEs can include chronic health conditions and negative effects on a person’s education, job opportunities and earning potential – all of which contribute to a person’s quality of life. Research shows people with six or more ACEs have a shorter life expectancy by nearly 20 years.

However, it is possible to prevent ACEs and alleviate the impacts they have on children. Schools play an important role in these efforts. By creating safe and supportive environments for children to learn, teachers and school staff can support children’s resiliency and help them thrive in the face of adversity.

Since 2013, the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky has been developing and funding projects in schools across the commonwealth focused on preventing and mitigating ACEs. We are currently continuing this work thanks to a grant we received from the Kentucky Department for Public Health, Office of Health Equity for $644,766. The project we are overseeing includes school-level interventions happening in urban and rural schools and a statewide component that involves the Family Resource and Youth Services Center (FRYSCs).

School-Level Interventions

Southern Elementary in Fayette County (urban) and West Irving Elementary in Estill County (rural) are the participating schools. With the Foundation’s support, the Bounce Coalition is guiding the schools’ staff and bus drivers through various educational and skill-building courses centered around creating nurturing and supportive environments for all students.

Along with strengthening their knowledge of ACEs, examples of the training include building resiliency in students and improving skills like de-escalation, self-care, and effective problem-solving. The Bounce Coalition will also work with school administrators to look at their policies and make recommendations on how to improve them from a trauma-informed perspective. For example, schools may find changes are needed in some of their safety drill procedures to make them less traumatic for students.

The education also extends to parents and the health department staff. Data is being collected so we can measure the success of the programs.

See the previous results of our ACEs projects in Russell County and Jefferson County.

Statewide FRYSCs Component

Part of the grant funds are designed to support Family Resource and Youth Services Center (FRYSCs) in further developing their awareness of ACEs and their skills to deal with children who have suffered from trauma and their families. FRYSCs play a critical role in the relationship between schools and parent/caregivers.

To address this goal, we brought together a team of partners to meet regularly with the FRYSCs representatives to help them increase ACEs awareness in schools and support protective factors training across the state. We have funded workshops on ACEs and Parent Cafes on protective factors at state-wide FRYSCs conferences.

Long-Term Goals

Today’s children are the future of our state. Instead of waiting to treat their health concerns as adults, let’s look at what we can do today to prevent them from developing the issues in the first place. By increasing awareness of ACEs and training schools and communities on how to alleviate the burden they have on kids, the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky aims to create a healthier and brighter future for Kentucky’s youth.

This project was supported by funds made available by the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Office of Health Equity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, under RFA-OT21-2103.

The content of this project is that of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official position of or endorsement by the Kentucky Department for Public Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.