Our Foundation continued developing and administering programs designed to increase the knowledge, awareness, and skills of adults interacting with children to foster resiliency and address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). First launched in 2012, the results of the Investing in Kentucky’s Future Initiative (IKF) were released in 2019, and the work expanded.

 

• Sharing the First ACEs Project Success

Our Foundation created a comprehensive report and highlight video sharing the groundbreaking ACEs demonstration project that was part of the 2012-2019 IKF initiative. “Investing in Kentucky’s Future: Community-Driven Strategies for Obesity Prevention and Building Resilience in Children” details the achievements of Foundation grantee, the Bounce coalition, in addressing ACEs in Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS). The video also raises awareness regarding ACEs and highlights the cross-sector approach used to mitigate their impact in an urban-school setting.

 

We also employed the Foundation’s training tool to share the project and its lessons in the webinar Self Care during a Pandemic.

 

• The Rural ACEs Project

During 2019-2020, the Foundation supported the design and implementation of the Rural ACEs Project to raise awareness, provide community events, training, and interventions on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in rural communities.
 

The Rural ACEs project expanded its focus from working in schools to also engaging with the health department, coalitions, and communities in the selected area. Project communities included the Lake Cumberland District Health Department area (Adair, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, McCreary, Pulaski, Russell, Taylor, and Wayne counties).
 

The Foundation selected Russell County public elementary, middle, and high schools for the project, with Adair County Schools as the control district for evaluation purposes.
 

School interventions included a school leadership organizational assessment and training, all-school staff training, three-tier supports for students, parent/caregiver education, and engagement supports. The community engagement and education elements of the project include professional development and train-the-trainer events, as well as broad community dialogue around ACEs and resiliency.

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• Coordinating and Supporting ACEs Work in Kentucky

Our Foundation’s groundbreaking 2012 grant in ACEs mitigation is bearing fruit all across Kentucky. As a thought leader, we worked with multiple Kentucky organizations and agencies in 2019 and 2020 to support, coordinate, and share the work of programs to address ACEs. For example, Foundation staff contributed expertise on the Kentucky Strengthening Families state leadership team, the community advisory board of the Trauma Resilient Community initiative in Louisville, the Bounce ACEs Policy Committee, and the Kentucky Board of Education’s health subcommittee, among others.

 

The Foundation also supported screenings of the film “Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope” for policymakers, state government staff and other groups.

 

In addition, Kentucky Educational Television (KET) used its annual Foundation grant to produce a special report, Healing Childhood Trauma, as well as a panel discussion featuring extended interviews with experts, which aired following the premier of the special report.