Adverse Childhood Experiences & HOPE

Hello Everyone! 

This Child Abuse Prevention Month, and every day, we help families and children thrive. As we reach the halfway point of the month, let’s continue year-round to raise awareness about the importance of preventing child abuse, also known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Let’s continue to raise awareness about how important it is for children to have Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE). 

If you are not familiar, I have attached below the ACE questionnaire. This includes 10 yes or no questions and is based on over 30 years of research that connects these adverse childhood experiences with poor health outcomes, including obesity, diabetes, COPD, and many others as well as increased mental health concerns including suicide. Through the years of research, it has been identified children with 3 or more and adults with 4 or more at higher risk of these poor health outcomes. 

However, researchers have recognized there can be healing from adverse childhood experiences, and we can mitigate the risk of these poor outcomes. The solution can be simple and comes in the form of positive relationships and experiences. Also below is the HOPE questionnaire. It has seven yes or no questions. This is what KCSL does in our programs every single day–we offer the opportunities for children and their parents to have positive experiences. With positive experiences, they can learn better coping skills to deal with trauma in the future. And for those who have already experienced trauma, we can turn the page on those poor outcomes and improve their trajectory in life. 

It is amazing the work that we do every day. And April is a good time to remember how we may not always see the long-term impact or difference we are making, but KCSL’s role is to be a positive experience. Every day, YOU help KCSL make a difference and ensure we can create, repair, and restore healthy parent-child relationships. For that, we celebrate.