Table of Contents (5) - Flipbook - Page 18
Having established a stronger public understanding of the early
years, the field recognized it needed to build out even more. To
counterbalance the new understanding of early adversity, advocates
began to focus on the central importance of promoting healthy
development and fostering positive childhood experiences (PCEs).
This transformation is the result of collaborative efforts among
developmental psychologists, sociologists, linguists, neuroscientists,
pediatricians, and others working across disciplines to understand
and communicate the science of early childhood development.
Evidence of this shift is all over—from government guidance to state
and federal policy.
For example, the CDC’s “Essentials for Childhood” framework
highlights strategies for fostering PCEs and preventing adversity and
states like Maryland and California have adopted similar initiatives
and campaigns. Another major change is the way the CDC-funded
“Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System” questionnaire now
incorporates questions about ACEs. The past decade has also seen
the development of a federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse
and Neglect Fatalities, policy wins like the Family First Prevention
Services Act that allows states to use funding for prevention
measures to support children and families, and the introduction of
new legislation like The Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences
(PACE) Act to authorize the CDC to award public health grants for
promoting PCEs.
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