Part One of a two-part series explains Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Read Part Two to learn the impact of advocacy and education campaigns.

Children trudging to school with backpacks may be carrying a load far heavier than school books. Some are weighed down by the effects of trauma, including abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or losing a family member. At the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW), we know that childhood trauma can have a significant impact on a child’s health and well-being — and it’s more common than you might think. Childhood trauma affects 34.8 million children across socioeconomic lines, putting them at higher risk for health, behavioral and learning problems.

The paper that first brought this issue to the forefront was the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study published by researchers from the CDC and Kaiser Permanente in 1998. They asked over 17,000 adults about 10 categories of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). These included abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and parental divorce, separation or substance abuse. Every “yes” added a point to the ACE score. It turned out that two-thirds of the population had at least one ACE, and one in eight had four or more ACEs.

The scientists also learned the more ACEs you have, the more likely you are to develop some of the deadliest diseases. A person with four or more ACEs for example, is twice as likely to develop heart disease or cancer & 11 times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s.

Since the CDC-Kaiser study was published 20 years ago, subsequent research has further shown that traumatic events in childhood can literally get under our skin, changing our brains and bodies. Children who are exposed to ACEs are at risk for developing an overactive stress response — what the American Academy of Pediatrics now calls the toxic stress response. Toxic stress not only affects brain development, but can also change children’s hormonal systems, immune systems, and even the way their DNA is read and transcribed. Without intervention, this can result in behavior problems, learning difficulties, and chronic health issues throughout their lives.

In the midst of what may seem like dismal news, there is hope. There are certain positive experiences that have been proven to help reduce the effects of stress — we call these “protective factors.” A supportive and nurturing relationship with a family member, caregiver, or health care professional can help reduce the negative impact of ACEs by acting as a buffer against stress. Anyone who plays a significant role in a child’s life, including educators, has the capacity to provide these “mini doses” of healing.

The first step to being a protective factor in a child’s life is ensuring our own stress response system is regulated. We do this by understanding the role our own childhood adversity may be playing in our own bodies and minds. There are six interventions we recommend that are proven to help reduce the effects of toxic stress and regulate the stress response system: adequate sleep, balanced nutrition, plenty of exercise, mindfulness, mental health care, and supportive, healthy relationships. It’s important to remember “self care isn’t selfish” — it’s an essential practice required for healing.

To learn more about childhood adversity and what you can do to help:

Learn. Simply by understanding how ACEs may have affected you, family members, or your students, you can help turn the tide against intergenerational trauma. Visit Stress Health, to learn more about ACEs, toxic stress and ways to protect children and help them heal. If you or someone you know is a pediatric medical provider, visit our National Pediatric Practice Community to learn more about ACEs screening.

Connect. If you are based in California and want to join a passionate group of policy advocates working in the child welfare and ACEs space, join the California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity (4CA) and get on the front lines of the movement. If you are not in California, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay tuned in to the movement and opportunities to get involved.

Take action. Support organizations like CYW. As we continue to scale up our work to reach more families and providers across the U.S., as well as fine-tune the science through new research, there is an opportunity for philanthropy to play a major role.