Does bad news travel faster than good news? That question came to mind when Lisa asked me if I had heard of PCEs (Positive Childhood Experiences). I heard a lot about how ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) negatively impact our health, but this was the first I had heard of the Science of positive and adverse childhood experiences, otherwise known as PACES.
Eager to explore and bring the power of PCEs to you, we were thrilled to be a part of the 2024 Hillsborough County PACES Conference. Nikki Daniels, co-host of the conference said, “We need to figure out a way to bring these Positive Childhood Experiences into communities.”
Before we PACE forward, what is the impact of doing nothing?
Let’s take a look back at the childhood of those living in prisons or on our streets. To calculate a person’s ACE score, you add one point for each of the 10 more prevalent “hurtful” negative ACE incidents.
Seattle University’s Project on Family Homelessness illustrates how the likelihood of homelessness progressively climbs as adults-to-be accumulate eight or more “hurtful” incidents. When Denise Hughes Conlon, an expert in ex-offender transition, had ex-prisoners calculate their scores, her team realized the ex-offenders experienced nearly all 10 “hurtful” incidents. She said, “The former prisoners’ average ACE score was a nine and that did not include the fact that many of the adversities occurred multiple times.”
Scores of eight or nine translate to a childhood filled with nearly all 10 ACE incidents: physical abuse, recurrent emotional abuse, sexual abuse, alcohol or drug abuse in the home, an incarcerated household member, a household member with chronic mental health issues, a mother treated violently, not being raised by both biological parents, emotional neglect, and physical neglect.
As part of creating the game-changer science chapter of “Secrets to Sustainable Solutions,” Lisa collaborated with Dr. Vincent Felitti, an expert on childhood trauma and co-principal investigator of the ACEs study. He shared that compared to those not dealing with ACE incidents, those facing adversities are four times more likely to become an alcoholic, three times more likely to be absent from work, twice as likely to have serious financial problems, and three times more likely to have serious job problems.
What if we do something?
At the conference, Daniels and other presenters shared how PCEs can counteract the negative impacts of ACEs. The “helpful” PCEs have the power to protect adult mental health. Three-quarters of those with 3-5 PCEs reported good mental health, described as “not reporting depression or poor mental health.” Nearly 90% of those with 6-7 PCEs reported good mental health.
Communities can lead transformation by creating opportunities for youth to participate in community traditions, feel a sense of belonging in high school, feel supported by friends, and have at least two non-parent adults take a genuine interest in their lives. Those are the 4 PCEs that are in our control as members of the community.
AAA has been demonstrating the power of PACE for over 100 years!
Our road trip story took us over to Oakstead Elementary School, where Sophie Cuviello earned the “Florida Safety Patrol of the Year” award. It was easy to see this young lady has PCEs in her life such as the mentorship of P.E. teacher Scott Tassone. This school has 50 safety patrollers who go beyond their critical role of ensuring physical safety. They add fun and inspire mental fitness. The kids and even the adult staff can’t help but join in on Dance Party Friday, aimed to get the students excited about learning.
The 100-plus years of success of the safety patroller model makes sense. While they started, well before the science of PCEs, the AAA safety patrol structure naturally follows the 4 PCE opportunities noted. Oakstead Elementary brings the students a fun community tradition with Dance Fridays. They create a sense of belonging as they say “good morning” to each student. They help create a feeling of being part of the school organization. Last but not least, the program facilitates a structure where teachers are positioned to coach along the way as non-parent adults taking a genuine interest in the lives of the children.
Reflecting on the possibilities ahead!
With 679,000 patrollers across 35,000 U.S. schools, the AAA School Safety Patrol program is one of the largest safety programs in the world! People in the program have gone on to be astronauts, Nobel Prize winners, Olympians, presidents, and even Street Sense road trip story writers. Yes, Lisa and I were both safety patrollers. Lisa recalls the moment her fifth-grade teacher asked her to be a safety patroller. Lisa replied, “But, I am bad.” The teacher laughed so hard it was clear she did not believe that was true. Lisa went on to grow meaningful skills as a safety patroller. Imagine the possibilities if we set people up for success by adding a little more of those “positive” experiences to our lives. Our vision is to share advice that’s as easy as 1-2-3 on how to inspire, empower, and engage children and community members. For parents, teachers, and advocates for children, we invite you to explore with us at https://www.youtube.com/@GuidedResults.
