Black Lives Matter.
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
  • Programs
    • Ecumenical Immigration Alliance
      • Ideas for Action
      • Sign Our Statement
      • The NC Sanctuary Coalition
      • Immigration Bible Study
      • Contact
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Public Education
    • NC Sanctuary Coalition
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
    • NC No Torture
  • COVID-19 Resources
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

Children and a Healthy Start to Life: Understanding Stress and Trauma’s Impact

The Rev. Jessica Stokes, Associate Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness, Mental Health Advocacy · April 3, 2018 · Leave a Comment

As I work with various communities, a returning issue I hear about is the first 2000 days of a person’s life. I first learned about this number, 2000, at the Smart Start of New Hanover County’s 2000 Days Community Summit. It was here that parents, teachers, clergy, social workers, police officers, and physicians gathered to learn and discuss how to best support our local children in the first 2000 days of their lives. Smart Start looks closely at the various ways that trauma, poor nutrition, lack of safety, and situational distress can affect the brain in childhood and consequently into adulthood.

A physician remarked on how common and long-lasting childhood trauma is, and even though it occurs at young ages: “A child may not remember but the body will remember.”

Why 2000? This is the number of days between birth and the start of kindergarten. This is a crucial season in a person’s life, hugely formative and sets the pace for the rest of a person’s life. As Smart Start of New Hanover County shared: “During that time brain architecture is forming, creating the foundation for all future learning.  Child development is a dynamic, interactive process that is not predetermined. It occurs in the context of relationships, experiences and environments. Harvard University neuroscientist Jack Shonkoff puts it this way, “brains are built, not born.”

During the 2000 Days Community Summit, I learned about the research gathered on ACEs: Adverse Childhood Experiences. ACEs are childhood traumas that contribute to chronic, long-lasting stress in a child’s body and brain. This lasting toxic stress inhibits healthy growth- emotionally, mentality, and physically. ACEs can rapidly harm learning, memory, social skills, depression, anxiety, hormone balance, immunity, overall physical health, and the opportunity to succeed. Examples of Adverse Childhood Experiences include all types of abuse (emotional, physical, sexual), emotional and physical neglect, household substance abuse, household mental illness, parental separation or divorce, being homeless, natural disasters or war, if a parent is abused by another adult in the home, witnessing violence in the home or community, or witnessing a sibling be abused.

ACEs during childhood must be treated because they increase the risk of: substance abuse, adolescent pregnancy, heart disease, suicide, liver disease, depression, anxiety, attention-deficit disorders, and intimate partner violence.

The good news is that in the event of Adverse Childhood Experiences, a child can still overcome the trauma and return to good health. Smart Start refers to this as ‘Resilience’. Resilience can occur when we help children understand their feelings and emotions tied to the trauma so that a child can then help manage their responses to it. Resilience also happens when a child ultimately feels safe again. Creating an emotional and physical safe home, school, and community is crucial. Much of a child’s stress is due to a lack of security and safety. According to the Community & Family Services Division at Spokane Regional Health District, resilience looks like: Having resilient parents that can problem solve and be healthy adults; building nurturing relationships; meeting basic needs; building social and emotional skills.

Our churches are involved with children through programming, worship, youth activities, VBS Camp, and much more. As we encourage each other towards a more healthy and whole life, let us all be aware of the health needs of children so they have every opportunity to grow into healthy adults.

A helpful introduction to this work and issue is the documentary ‘Resilience’: Resilience Trailer

Helpful resources also include:

ACES 101: acestoohigh.com/aces-101/

www.resiliencetrumpsACEs.org

Smart Start

Filed Under: Blog, Homepage Featured Tagged With: Health, Mental Health

The Rev. Jessica Stokes, Associate Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness, Mental Health Advocacy

About The Rev. Jessica Stokes, Associate Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness, Mental Health Advocacy

Jessica Stokes is the Associate Director of Partners in Health and Wholeness leading our state-wide mental health advocacy efforts. Jessica earned her Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University and BS in Clinical Psychology from Averett University. She is an ordained Baptist minister and joined the Council’s staff in 2016 after directing an interfaith non-profit in Washington State. Jessica’s background includes non-profit work, hospital chaplaincy, interfaith campus ministry, and the local church. Her convictions are rooted in experiences that range from ministry in Appalachia, as a chaplain in a psychiatric hospital, to learning about systemic issues Eastern NC while living in Greenville and Wilmington, as a PHW Regional Coordinator. She seeks authentic and earnest conversation. Jessica’s work for PHW includes a focus on mental health education and advocacy, specifically tailored for faith communities. Jessica is based in Durham with her wife, Vanessa, and two pets.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Spotlight: Olive Branch Ministry
Do This in Remembrance of Me
Mental Health and Race: Barriers, Ideas, & Sacred Work (Part III)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anonymous comments or comments that target individuals will not be posted (please include your first and last name). All comments must be on topic and respectful. Comments will not be posted until they have been reviewed by a moderator. Comments do not reflect the positions of the NC Council of Churches.

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

Children and a Healthy Start to Life: Understanding Stress and Trauma’s Impact

Latest Tweets

ICYMI: Check out our spotlight piece on Olive Branch Ministry, Hickory, to learn more about their faith-based harm reduction work serving the foothills and piedmont of North Carolina. ncchurches.org/2021/…

About a day ago

This Earth Month, we're calling on our network to advocate with compassion for a just & sustainable future. To support you in this hard & holy work, @NCIPL complied a toolkit with policy positions, calls to action, & how we engage in faith-based advocacy. ncchurches.org/advoc…

About 2 days ago

Make sure to register for our upcoming Legislative Seminar. Our opening worship service and award ceremony will honor Michael S. Regan, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, with the Faith Active in Public Life award. ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/rG7U…

About 3 days ago

Faith Climate Action Week is coming up! This year's theme is Sacred Ground: Cultivating Connections Between our Faith, our Food, and the Climate. Follow the link to find events >> faithclimateactionwe…

About 5 days ago

2021 is the year for drawing districts in each state after the completion of the US Census. Check out the @LWV's blog on encouraging people to speak up about the drawing of fair maps. Read now >> lwv.org/blog/redistr… pic.twitter.com/4KMR…

Last week

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

Now that all North Carolinians age 16+ are eligible to receive a #COVID19 vaccine, use the @ncdhhs resource hub to find a local provider near you to get your shot! #MySpotMyShotNC #NC covid19.ncdhhs.gov/v… #MindfulTogether

About 2 days ago

Join us next Thurs., April 22 for our Sacred Conversations event on caring for creation. We'll be discussing environmental caretaking, collective action, and our Sustainability Pledge. Register online at ncchurches.ourpowerb… @NCIPL #MindfulTogether #EarthDay pic.twitter.com/GTpI…

About 3 days ago

Read our spotlight piece on Olive Branch Ministry to learn more about their faith-based harm reduction work serving the foothills and piedmont of North Carolina. ncchurches.org/2021/… @olivebranchgals #MindfulTogether pic.twitter.com/xj2U…

About 4 days ago

Our work has led us to recognize the impact our environment has on our health and ability to flourish. Click below to read more about our commitment to being stewards of God’s good Creation through our Sustainability Pledge. ncchurches.org/phw-s… @NCIPL #MindfulTogether

About 5 days ago

Awesome opportunity from our partners at @emergingissues! #MindfulTogether twitter.com/emerging…

About 5 days ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @UniteThePoor “It should be frightening to people who are unaware of the power of the faith movement.” - Rev. Patricia Hailes Fears, Fellowship Baptist Church #DontFilibusterDemocracy #PoorPeoplesCampaign religionnews.com/202…

About 5 hours ago

RT @CleanAirMoms Register! twitter.com/CleanAir…

About 5 hours ago

RT @SadhviBhagawati We must #worship the #Mother Goddess in both #temples and in our homes and #society. She lives in our #daughters, #sisters, wives & mothers; in the #Shakti in our #communities. To be true worshippers we must ensure #GenderEquity, upliftment & empowerment of our #women and girls! pic.twitter.com/IqAi…

About 5 hours ago

RT @CleanAirMoms 😡😡😡😡 bloomberg.com/news/a…

About 5 hours ago

RT @RevYearwood Looking forward to the #EarthDay2021  Virtual Stage+Festival on SUNDAY 4/18! @sciencemarchnyc @EarthDayOrg #ClimateAction  earthdayinitiative.o… pic.twitter.com/22Xm…

About 6 hours ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2021 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine