Talking to Kids about Economic Downturn and the Pandemic 2020 was the “Year of Explaining”: “Mom, why can’t we go see Grandma?” “Why do I have to wear a mask?” “Why can’t I visit my best friend?” And now, as we enter the challenges of 2021, we might find ourselves...
Beyond Pandemic Survival Mode: Feeling the Feelings We have looked for silver linings, counted blessings and tried to feel grateful. In the midst of adversity, instability and losses, we have worked to stay as positive as possible. In experiencing collective trauma...
Ages and Stages: Building Resilience Skills Even for the youngest among us, life is full of challenges. From dealing with small stresses like a skinned knee to recovering from serious trauma like a natural disaster, resilience skills help us manage specific problems...
Child Abuse Prevention for AllThe trauma of childhood abuse can last into adulthood. Abuse impacts a child’s ability to grow, learn new things and develop healthy relationships.Emotional abuse includes neglecting a child’s need for care and attention, constantly...
Turning Childhood Trauma Into Helping ChildrenTraumatic events are life-changing, and move a person down roads that may be limited and shadowed, or vast and empowering. For children who experience family loss, how they are supported by the child welfare system can...
Toxic Stress Among Young Children Can Lead to Serious Implications Brain development in early childhood is critical and - if influenced negatively by toxic stress - can result in lifelong implications. Toxic stress occurs if children are regularly ignored, frequently...
First 5 LA’s 5 Ways to Help Children Feel Safe After National Tragedies Even if we are not personally affected, knowing about tragic events can be upsetting for adults and terrifying for children. Enabling children to process scary events can help them feel less...
Immigration Resources Parents’ fear of detention and deportation has been heightened by recent actions by the federal government and has become a priority issue affecting young children and their families throughout Los Angeles County. All families, including...
Your Past, Your Parenting Does the stress you experienced as a child affect your parenting? It certainly can, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-Kaiser Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. More than 20 years of studies found that early stressors —...
Building Resilience and Decreasing Childhood Trauma Science tells us that 80 percent of a child’s brain develops by age 3. Prenatal and early childhood development has a lasting effect on a child’s brain and ability to learn, function, and grow. Stress and trauma can...