Fighting ACEs
A public health approach to preventing adversity, promoting positive experiences, and building a trauma-informed community.
Every child is filled with tremendous promise — and as a community, we share an obligation to foster their potential. Our Fighting ACEs initiative promotes a public health approach to preventing and healing the effects of early adversity at the individual, family, community, and system levels — while building the positive childhood experiences that change trajectories.
Adverse Childhood Experiences can have lasting effects on health and development — but they can be prevented and their impact can be buffered.
Positive childhood experiences actively buffer against adversity — changing a child's brain and trajectory through relationships, safety, and connection.
Every parent, caregiver, and professional has the power to create buffering relationships that promote safety, resilience, and well-being.
Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse Childhood Experiences — or ACEs — are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood. Research shows that ACEs are prevalent, interconnected, and in the absence of buffering relationships, can lead to lasting harm across a lifetime.
"We believe that it is every child's right to grow up feeling safe and loved. Our goal is to build a community where all children have the opportunity to thrive."
When children experience multiple adverse events — such as abuse, neglect, or growing up in a home affected by addiction or mental illness — their bodies undergo a surge of stress hormones that can alter brain development and increase susceptibility to future health concerns including heart disease, diabetes, and depression.
But ACEs are not destiny. Research tells us that the single most powerful protective factor is a safe, stable, nurturing relationship with a caring adult. That's why our approach goes beyond awareness — we build the capacity of every parent, caregiver, and professional to create buffering relationships that promote healing and resilience.
Center for Child Counseling's Fighting ACEs initiative, launched in 2016 with support from Quantum Foundation, takes a public health approach — working at the individual, family, community, and system levels to prevent adversity, intervene early, and promote the positive experiences that change outcomes.
Learn about the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences and how our community is coming together to fight them.
From the original CDC-Kaiser Permanente ACE Study
From ACEs to HOPE
While ACEs science tells us what can go wrong, the HOPE framework — Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences — shows us what we can do right. Positive childhood experiences don't just help in the absence of adversity — they actively buffer against its effects.
"Every time you create a positive experience for a child — a warm greeting, a moment of genuine connection, a choice that gives them a sense of control — you are literally changing their brain and their trajectory."
Research published in JAMA Pediatrics confirms: positive experiences buffer against adversity, even for children with high ACE scores.
Safe and supportive relationships within the family and with other children and adults. The foundation for healthy brain development, emotional regulation, and the capacity to form relationships throughout life.
Safe, equitable, and stable environments where children can live, learn, and play. When children feel safe, their brains are free to develop, explore, and build resilience.
Opportunities for social and civic engagement to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness. When children participate in shared activities and community life, they develop identity and purpose.
Opportunities where children feel supported through difficult events and emotions. Self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, and problem-solving are built through guided experience and supportive relationships.
Discover how the HOPE framework is transforming the way we understand child development and creating a movement to advance health and well-being.
Based at Tufts Medical Center, the HOPE National Resource Center offers trainings, resources, and research centered on the HOPE framework. With 750+ trained facilitators across 47 states, the HOPE movement continues to grow — and Center for Child Counseling is proud to be part of it.
Visit positiveexperience.org →Our Public Health Approach in Action
Fighting ACEs isn't a single program — it's an approach that runs through everything we do. From community-wide prevention to clinical treatment, we work at every level to build a trauma-informed, HOPE-centered Palm Beach County.
See how Center for Child Counseling is building a trauma-informed community across Palm Beach County.
Community education, professional training, the ACEs Toolkit, and our A Way of Being approach equip parents, caregivers, and professionals with the knowledge and skills to promote positive experiences and prevent adversity before it starts.
Through pediatric integration, school-based services, and care coordination, we identify children and families facing risk factors early — connecting them with support before challenges become crises.
Evidence-based therapy, play therapy, family support, and our HOPE-informed approach help children and families heal from adversity — building resilience, restoring connection, and creating a foundation for lifelong well-being.
Tools & Resources
Explore our collection of resources to deepen your understanding of ACEs, the HOPE framework, and how you can make a difference in a child's life.
A comprehensive collection of resources, infographics, and guides for understanding ACEs and building trauma-informed practices in your home, school, or organization.
Explore Toolkit → ResearchOur foundational white paper outlining the public health approach to fighting ACEs — from awareness and prevention through early intervention and treatment.
Read White Paper → Our ApproachThe cornerstone of everything we do — a trauma- and HOPE-informed approach to building safety, resilience, and well-being. Includes videos, tip sheets, workshops, and our newly revised manual.
Learn More →
Every Positive Experience Matters.
Every Child Deserves HOPE.
Whether you're a parent, educator, health professional, or community member — you have the power to create positive childhood experiences that change a child's trajectory. Start today.