Project AWARE Ohio: Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education

Project AWARE Ohio is a partnership between the Ohio Department of Education, the Center for School Based-Mental Health Programs at Miami University and the educational service centers within three pilot communities: Cuyahoga County, Warren County and Wood County. Funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Project AWARE Ohio supports schools and communities in:

  • Raising awareness of behavioral health issues among school-aged youth;
  • Providing training to detect and respond to mental health challenges and crisis in children and young adults; and
  • Increasing access to behavioral health supports for children, youth and families.

Adverse Childhood Experiences: Assessing The Impact On Health And School Engagement And The Mitigating Role Of Resilience

Using the 2011–12 National Survey of Children’s Health, we assessed the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences and associations between them and factors affecting children’s development and lifelong health. After we adjusted for confounding factors, we found lower rates of school engagement
and higher rates of chronic disease among children with adverse childhood experiences.

We found higher rates of school engagement among children with adverse childhood experiences who demonstrated resilience, as well as higher rates of resilience among children with such experiences who received care in a family-centered medical home.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Mental Health, Chronic Medical Conditions, and Development in Young Children

To determine the relationships between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health, chronic medical conditions, and social development among young children in the child welfare system. This cross-sectional study used a nationally representative sample of children investigated by child welfare (National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II) from 2008 to 2009.

ACEs were associated with poor early childhood mental health and chronic medical conditions, and, among children aged 3 to 5, social development.

Using Brain Science to Create New Pathways Out of Poverty

Experiences of social bias, persistent poverty, and trauma can directly undermine brain development and the EF skills most needed for success. The areas of the brain affected by adverse experiences of social bias, persistent poverty, and trauma remain plastic well into adulthood and, through proper coaching, may be strengthened and improved.

Strong at the Broken Places: The Resiliency of Low-Income Parents

By examining factors that promote or hinder children’s healthy development, this policy report draws on recent studies to illustrate the importance of parent resiliency in the development of social-emotional competence among low-income children. The report concludes with program and policy recommendations that have proven effective in promoting the development of protective factors, reducing vulnerabilities, and cultivating resiliency among low-income parents and, consequently, their children.

Early Stress Gets under the Skin: Promising Initiatives to Help Children Facing Chronic Adversity

Many children experience adversity in the form of poverty, abuse or neglect, homelessness, or other conditions that make them vulnerable to the damaging effects of chronic stress. New research reveals that chronic stress alters their rapidly developing biological systems in ways that undermine their ability to succeed in school and in life. The good news is that we have strong evidence for programs and approaches that policy makers could use to help these children overcome the effects of stress.