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OBJECTIVES

What the Research Says
The 4 Building Blocks of HOPE for Educators
OPIs Whole Child Skill Development; Building Foundations for Success
Classroom Strategies

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While it may not always be possible to avoid toxic stress or trauma, it’s helpful to know that positive childhood experiences are more powerful than we might imagine.

Lots of research has shown that abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase the risk of poor physical and health outcomes throughout a person’s life. But that doesn’t mean that a child who has experienced ACEs is doomed. People differ in their response to bad situations. Children who experienced trauma but can also point to positive experiences and relationships generally do better than similarly traumatized children who haven’t had the benefit of positive experiences. Many researchers4 consider positive childhood experiences to be a “buffer” that protects against the worst consequences of trauma.

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Academic Pediatrics

Volume 17, Issue 7, Supplement, September–October 2017, Pages S79-S85

Responding to ACEs With HOPE: Health Outcomes From Positive Experiences

Sege, MD & Browne, PhD

JAMA Piedatrics September 9, 2019

Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental and Relational Health in a Statewide Sample

Associations Across Adverse Childhood Experiences Levels

Christina Bethell, PhD, MBA, MPH; Jennifer Jones, MSW; Narangerel Gombojav, MD, PhD; Jeff Linkenbach, EdD; RobertSege, MD, PhD

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2022 Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE): Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Substance Use

Montana Statewide Data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The purpose of the study is to answer the question, “Do positive childhood experiences (PCEs) have a buffering impact on adult substance use behaviors?”

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Key findings include:

1. A positive community norm exists in Montana regarding positive childhood experiences reported by adults.

2. The more total PCEs reported, the lower the prevalence of having ever been a cigarette smoker.

3. The more total PCEs reported, the fewer alcoholic beverages consumed in the past 30 days.

4. The more total PCEs reported, the fewer drinks consumed per occasion.

5. Those who reported the lowest levels of PCEs reported more incidents of binge drinking in the past month.

6. The fewer total PCEs reported, the higher the maximum number of drinks consumed in a single occasion.

7. Those experiencing the most PCEs reported the lowest prevalence of lifetime illicit drug use.

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Trauma Sensitive Relationship

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Stay in charge and at peace
Co-regulate by being attuned
Validate feelings
Enjoy things together
Have hello and goodbye routines
Notice strengths
Celebrate successes

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Safe, Stable Learning Environment

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Students

feel protected and valued
are able to take risks
ask questions
make mistakes

without fear of judgment

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Classrooms that Promote Social & Civic Engagement

Civic engagement not only benefits our communities, but has positive benefits for us as individuals, reducing isolation and creating connections with people and institutions beyond ourselves. When students are engaged in making the world better, in addition to advancing student learning, there is the added benefit of improving individual well-being.

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Classrooms that Promote Social & Emotional Growth are

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nurturing
supportive
safe spaces

that encourage positive interactions.

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The Montana Whole Child Skill Development Competencies – OPI Website

The Montana Whole Child Skill Development Competencies are intended to guide the lifelong development of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making for all Montana students. The competencies were developed in partnership with Montana educators, parents, caregivers, school counselors, and youth mental health and development experts. The competencies are:

Designed for students kindergarten to grade 12: The competencies were designed to serve as a tool to support the skill development of all Montana’s students.
Aligned with educator skills: Educator skill development competencies coincide with student competencies & emphasize the important role caring and trusted adults play in modeling, teaching, and strengthening student skill development.
Vertically and horizontally aligned: Competencies align within grade-levels, vertically across the five competency areas, and are aligned across grade levels, horizontally, reflecting the expected progression of skill development as students age and move from kindergarten through grade 12.
Developmentally appropriate: The competencies are informed by Bloom’s taxonomy to be developmentally appropriate across grade levels.

The implementation of the Whole Child Skill Development Competencies requires two underlying conditions:

First, all students will have the support of trusted adults in a safe and healthy environment.
Second, these adults will use developmentally appropriate practice, will explicitly model the skills, and will decrease their level of support as the learner gains confidence.

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Student Toolkit

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Starting point

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Classroom Coping Skills

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Healthy ways to feel better

Identify emotions
Problem solve healthy ways to handle situation
Keep a notebook that identifies their strategies

Ask for a time out and

Deep breathing
Mindfulness
Music
Deep breathing
Relaxation
Counting
Tapping
Color or draw
Write
Read
Work on homework
Put your feelings in a container

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Resources

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Responding to ACEs With HOPE: Health Outcomes From Positive Experiences https://www.academicpedsjnl.net/article/S1876-2859(17)30107-9/fulltext

Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental and Relational Health in a Statewide Sample

Associations Across Adverse Childhood Experiences Levels https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2749336

HOPE website - https://positiveexperience.org/

2022 Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE): Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Substance Use https://dphhs.mt.gov/assets/publichealth/EMSTS/Data/HopePCEReport2022.pdf

OPI- Whole Child Skill development, https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/School-Climate-Student-Wellness/Safe-Supportive-Schools/Whole-Child-Supports

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