Hello Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative Members,
 
For nearly ten years, members of this Collaborative have built a movement designed to improve health and well-being across the lifespan by more effectively preventing and addressing the impacts of childhood adversity. With our nation experiencing the collective stress and trauma of the pandemic, as well as the ongoing and persistent trauma caused by racism and white supremacy, this work could not be more important.
 
While I am just a few weeks into my role as Director of the Collaborative, I have already had the opportunity to experience the energy and commitment Collaborative members are bringing to this movement, from a newly revamped Advisory Council advancing our shared vision across a range of sectors and strategies, to a Working Group of leaders from across the state developing an Action Plan to Address Childhood Adversity in Illinois. As the result of the active engagement of Collaborative members and a diligent dedication to racial equity, groundbreaking research, policy development, and cross-sector capacity building, the Collaborative is poised to have a meaningful impact on reducing trauma and promoting healing.
 
I look forward to getting to know you all in the coming months and I welcome your thoughts on how we can move this critical work forward together. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at bgavaghan@hmprg.org.
 
Thank you,
 
Bridget Gavaghan
Director, Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative

• Close the racial life expectancy gap, including a commitment to people affected by inequities having the power to decide how CDPH measures and monitors Chicago’s progress.
• Share resources, credit, results, and knowledge as the department and city identify community needs and assets, conduct research, and analyze data around health and racial equity in Chicago.

Rebuilding for a New Normal: A Study of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Trauma-Responsive Schools and Key Recommendations for Communities

Collaborative partners Partnership for Resilience and Harvard University recently released “Rebuilding for a New Normal: A Study of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Trauma-Responsive Schools and Key Recommendations for Communities,” which details the results of an assessment of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on trauma responsive schools in South Suburban Cook County, Springfield, and downstate Illinois. The team interviewed seventy-two administrators, teachers, support staff and parents, as well as fifteen national experts in the fields of social emotional learning (SEL) and trauma responsive schools, on how the pandemic is impacting students and families.
 
Researchers found:

• Families and educators have experienced emotional distress, financial instability, and threats to basic needs.
• Virtual learning provided more challenges than successes including widespread connectivity and access to technology issues; limited communication between teachers, students, and parents; and confusion over grading.
• Educators and administrators had little time to recover from the tumultuous spring and are at risk for burnout in the new school year.

• Wrap “safety and care” around students and adults through expanded attention to social and emotional needs of students, parents, teachers, support staff and administrators.
• Focus on social emotional learning, universal behavioral supports, restorative practices, cultural relevance, and relationship building.
• Help teachers reach their students through training on pedagogies and curriculum that align with virtual or social distanced settings. This could include inquiry-based learning,
• community service-based learning or flipped classroom models.
• Seize new opportunities to prioritize teacher-student connection/relationships, social-emotional learning, and family engagement.

 
You can read the entire report here