Vibrant and Healthy Kids

The heart of the matter: Developing the whole child through community resources and caregiver relationships

“…In a recent review of the many evidence-based interventions for high-risk youth and families, two essential elements distinguished programs that increased children's ability to rise above conditions of adversity: psychological and emotional support for their caregivers and programs that address specific dysfunctional parenting behaviors (Luthar & Eisenberg, 2017). These themes are also consistent with the evidence-based programs identified in the recent National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report on addressing adversity across a number of service sectors that help children and families (National Research Council, 2019). It is increasingly clear that the antidote to the toxic stress of ACEs is having the unconditional love of nurturing and responsive adults (Chen, Miller, Kobor, & Cole, 2010; Coatsworth et al, 2015; Morris et al, 2018).…”

Adversity in childhood is linked to mental and physical health throughout life

“…Public health strategies for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of childhood maltreatment and adversity include both universal and targeted interventions, ranging from home visiting programs to parent training programs, routine screening for adversity, and cognitive behavioral therapy 7374…”

Leveraging science to inform social policy: How Ed Zigler created a movement

“…Robert Pianta and colleagues built upon this research and tested it in early childhood classrooms (Pianta, La Paro, Payne, Cox, & Bradley, 2002). More recently, the importance of adults, specifically caregivers and teachers, in children's lives has been confirmed in National Academies' consensus reports (Institute of Medicine & National Research Council, 2015;NASEM, 2016NASEM, , 2019aNASEM, , 2019b. Relatively new work by Luthar and colleagues indicates supporting caregivers through authentic connections with other caregivers (Luthar, Kumar, & Benoit, 2019).…”

“…Building on the findings from the initial report, two consensus committees identified policy and practice recommendations that could improve the lives of children and youth who are typically marginalized. The report, Vibrant and healthy kids: Aligning science, practice, and policy to advance health equity (NASEM, 2019b), brought together the science on children who bear the brunt of health inequities. The committee made recommendations for cross-sector alignment, collaboration, and coordination to address the root causes of suboptimal developmental trajectories and improve programs with services from prevention to tertiary intervention.…”