What wouldn't you do to set your child up for success? Decades of research show that there are central "pillars," or experiences, that set our kids up to be able to identify and attain their own happiness! By maximizing Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) and minimizing or eliminating Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), we can help our kids avoid painful experiences and behaviors in their adulthood.
The CDC defined 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) & 7 Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) from the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. This study measured the outcomes in behavior, experiences, and health in adults who endured ACEs. You can read the list of the 7 PCEs and 10 ACEs here.
The 10 ACEs cover experiences in abuse, neglect and household challenges; while the 10 adversities do not cover all possible challenges children encounter, these 10 were the most common mentioned by the surveyed group in the original study and were also well studied individually in research literature at the time.
The 7 PCEs indicate a child's connectedness and safety in their home, school, and community. Reasearch conducted over decades has shown that children who consistently experiences PCEs are more likely to overcome or completely avoid the impacts of ACEs in their adulthood.