Santa Cruz County ACEs Network of Care
Promoting nurturing childhoods and resilient communities through our shared commitment to racial equity and collaborative care.
We are the Santa Cruz County ACEs Network of Care.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic experiences that have profound impacts on children’s developing brains and bodies. If this toxic stress is left unaddressed, ACEs can harm children, families, and communities - including the organizations and systems that are meant to support them. The Santa Cruz County ACEs Network of Care strives to educate our community about ACEs by increasing the knowledge and practices shared by the ACEs Aware initiative, including implementing ACEs screenings, assessing risk for toxic stress, and connecting children and families to medical, social, and community networks of care. By creating opportunities for parents, caregivers, advocates, child- and family-serving organizations, policymakers, and other community leaders to learn about and strengthen ACEs Aware methods, together we can reduce the impacts of ACEs and create a healthier future for our children.
We listen.
Everyone has a story. Stories of joy, hardship, love and loss. We carry these stories with us as individuals and as a community. Inside these stories, we find wisdom, strength, and the knowledge we need to heal ourselves, to care for each other, and to build a more just and nurturing world for our children. Your story matters.
We act.
Dignity and love is every child’s birth right, and as a society we share a responsibility to protect and care for one another. Preventing, treating and healing from adverse childhood experiences takes a village - one committed to personalized, culturally resonant care that leaves no one out. It also requires a willingness to understand and transform the societal conditions that have disproportionately exposed people of color to the risks of trauma and chronic stress. Every person deserves to be welcomed into this world with the CORE Conditions needed to thrive - this is what drives our Network of Care.
“As an immigrant mom, I’m so grateful to have a space to share my story and be heard so we can work together to create a better community for all kids.”
— Local Parent Leader
Learn more about our Network and join us as we design and implement solutions that embody our shared commitment to dignity, equity, and compassion.
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