Pitt County School ACEs & Resilience Project: An Exploration of the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences & Resilience as the Antidote to Trauma

Trauma, specifically childhood trauma, is being called the public health crisis of the current generation by many public health leaders. Childhood trauma, known in many circles as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), has tremendous negative health impacts over a person’s lifetime and can lead to malaise and chronic disease in adults. The long-term impacts of ACEs, however, can be remedied through “rewiring” one’s brain, a phenomenon called neuroplasticity. Resilience skills are the mechanism by which neuroplasticity changes the brain to remedy the effects of ACEs. In North Carolina, the Pitt County School ACEs & Resilience Project, is currently underway. Let by the Pitt County ACEs Collaborative, BRACE, and funded by a North Carolina Department of Public Instruction grant, this project brings training on ACEs and resilience skills to school systems and community organizations in the county. ACEs have a great impact on learning abilities and behaviors of children; therefore, it is optimal to create learning environments for children that are trauma-informed and resilience-focused. This work sets forth a program plan and evaluation for the Pitt County School ACEs & Resilience Project. KEYWORDS: Adverse Childhood Experiences, ACEs, Resilience, Pitt County Schools, trauma-informed, resilience-focused, schoolMaster of Public Healt