Maximizing everyone's potential helps our communities thrive. When we work as a team to build the well-being of children and adults together, the resulting structure is stronger for both generations.
Even if you have experienced adversity in your life, supportive relationships and access to resources and opportunities in your community can help build well-being and buffer against future stress. This page shares ideas and resources for you to address toxic stress and build resiliency in your own life. It also offers training and resources for individuals who work with families to promote safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments for adults and children.
Even if you have experienced adversity in your life, supportive relationships and access to resources and opportunities in your community can help build well-being and buffer against future stress. This page shares ideas and resources for you to address toxic stress and build resiliency in your own life. It also offers training and resources for individuals who work with families to promote safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments for adults and children.
Opportunities to RespondHere are ways you can respond to ACEs in your life or with the families you work with.
|
Here are handouts for understanding child stress and how you can respond.
![]()
![]()
Developed by Dr. Amy Shriver
|
The Iowa Alliance for Healthy Kids, coordinated by Iowa ACEs 360, has teamed up with Sesame Street in Communities to give caregivers, providers, and leaders in Iowa the messages and tools to improve the social-emotional well-being of young kids and to promote nurturing relationships within families. Iowa is one of just a handful of communities partnering with Sesame Street in Communities across the nation.
|
Training for Family SupportLemonade for Life trains professionals working with parents and caregivers on use of the ACEs Questionnaire. The goal of the Lemonade for Life program is to help prevent future exposure to ACEs while promoting resiliency and hope.
|
Resources
Personal Wellness
This section may be helpful to individuals who want to learn more about how to take care of their own mental well-being. These resources focus on the importance of our personal mental well-being through self-awareness, recognition of compassion fatigue, and other resources and reflections.
This section may be helpful to individuals who want to learn more about how to take care of their own mental well-being. These resources focus on the importance of our personal mental well-being through self-awareness, recognition of compassion fatigue, and other resources and reflections.
- 211 information and referral service
- Practicing Resilience for Self-Care and Healing community
- 45 simple self-care practices for a healthy mind, body, and soul
- Self-care after trauma
- Secondary Traumatic Stress
- Compassion fatigue awareness project
- WHO psychological first aid: Guide for field workers
- Self-care for trauma psychotherapists and caregivers: individual, social, and organizational interventions
Resiliency
The development and strengthening of resiliency can prevent adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mitigate the impact of traumatic stress. These resources describe resilience, discuss promotion of resilience, and provide valuable resources for individuals and communities interested in improving their resiliency.
The development and strengthening of resiliency can prevent adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mitigate the impact of traumatic stress. These resources describe resilience, discuss promotion of resilience, and provide valuable resources for individuals and communities interested in improving their resiliency.
For Families
The links in this section are meant to help families foster safe, stable and nurturing relationships. Many of these resources may also be helpful for professionals who work or interact with families.
The links in this section are meant to help families foster safe, stable and nurturing relationships. Many of these resources may also be helpful for professionals who work or interact with families.
- 211 information and referral service
- Parenting Resources – Prevent Child Abuse Iowa
- Amazing Brain by Linda Chamberlain
- Circle of Security
- Institute for Safe Families
- “Every parent has what it takes to be a brain builder"
- Positive Discipline
- Tips to Promote social-emotional health of young children from the American Academy of Pediatrics
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network resources for parents and caregivers
- Child Witness to Violence Project
- Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parent Association Trauma Informed Care
- Birth parents with trauma histories and the child welfare system: A guide for parents
For Family Support Professionals
This section is relevant for family support professionals and other professionals who work with families, particularly families with young children.
This section is relevant for family support professionals and other professionals who work with families, particularly families with young children.
- Iowa Family Support Network
- Lemonade for Life
- Adopting ACEs Screening and Assessment in Child Serving Systems, Working Paper
- Circle of Security
- Positive Discipline
- Family Resource Information, Education and Network Development Services (FRIENDS)
- CDC’s Essentials for Childhood Framework: Steps to Create Safe, Stable, and Nurturing Relationships and Environments for all Children