Darkness to Light

We sat down with our friend Lynn Layton, President & CEO of the Monique Burr Foundation for Children (MBF) and Ignite 2018 Presenting Sponsor, to ask a few questions about their child education programs and why they think working together to educate children and adults is important. MBF Child Safety Matters® (grades K-5) covers bullying, cyberbullying, all types of child abuse, digital abuse, and other digital dangers in two classroom lessons ranging from 35-55 minutes (or in 4 shorter lessons). ™ (grades K-8) is under development and will be available in 2019 to after-school programs and youth-serving organizations to help protect students from bullying, cyberbullying, all types of child abuse, including digital abuse. Ignite National Prevention Conference is the only national child sexual abuse prevention conference that brings together child advocates from all over the world.

Children need reliable, informed adults to act as a buffer to negative consequences in daily life. Mindfulness and mediation, exercise, good nutrition, adequate sleep, and healthy social interactions all play an important part in developing resiliency. 10 Ways to Foster Resilience in Young Children ACE Score & Resilience Survey ACEs Check out blog one on why it’s important to change the conversation, and blog two to learn about the long-term consequences of abuse.

The ten ACEs as defined by the Kaiser Permanente study include: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, mental illness, incarcerated relative, mother treated violently, substance abuse, and divorce. The more categories of trauma experienced in childhood, the greater the likelihood of experiencing the physical and mental health consequences below: With this understanding of how trauma affects children, professionals who work with children (psychologists, therapists, children’s advocacy centers, schools, etc.) are able to better properly diagnose and respond to the above behaviors. Watch the “60 Minutes” special with Oprah Winfrey as she reports on new methods being used to help adults who have experienced traumas in an effort to break the ACEs cycle.

Comfortable – and safe – at the Doctor’s Office,” features Darkness to Light’s Program Specialist, Carol Hogue. But in a world of #MeToo and the recent convictions of former USA national gymnastics team doctor and serial child molester, Larry Nassar, empowering my kids at the doctor Lay the groundwork Start teaching children about their bodies and boundaries when they are toddlers and provide choices so that they understand that they have the right to say “no,” says Cora Breuner, a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Adolescence. Educate yourself about what kinds of exams to expect at the doctor’s office at the different stages of development, as well as the facts about sexual abuse, recommends Carol Hogue, abuse prevention expert with the non-profit organization Darkness To Light.