Des Moines: REPORT:44% of Iowa kids have trauma at home; it has implications for school

Nov 27, 2017, KMA Radio, Des Moines: Study: Iowa kids face greater challenges than others http://www.kmaland.com/news/study-iowa-kids-face-greater-challenges-than-others/article_f603e8b0-d3aa-11e7-a859-a7cc4579c2e3.html A new study finds Iowa children face more Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs than kids in many other states. ACEs might include the death of a parent, being a victim of violence, or living with someone with a drug or alcohol problem. Martha Davis, a senior program officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, says ACEs can have a far-reaching impact. “They have implications for schools, for families and communities, for health care systems,” Davis says. “What it says is, we need to all be thinking about what are the policies that can help families raise healthy children and how can we support parents to be those consistent people in the lives of their kids and how do we reduce the impact of trauma.” The report found around 38% of children nationwide had at least one adverse childhood experience, while the rate is almost 44% for Iowa children. Twenty-percent of Iowa children had two or more ACEs. …