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Positive Childhood Experiences
What are Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs)?
Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) are events, relationships, or environments that help children feel valued, supported, and nurtured. PCEs can help children develop resilience and well-being, and can counterbalance the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) like trauma or neglect.
Positive Childhood Experiences include:
- Ability to talk with family about feelings
- Felt experience that family is supportive in difficult times
- Enjoyment in participation in community traditions
- Feeling of belonging in high school
- Feeling of being supported by friends
- Having at least two non-parent adults who genuinely care
Why do PCEs matter to me as an adult?
The time you spend with children makes a difference! Local data shows that when middle and high school students report having adults other than their parents care about them, they are less likely to use drugs or have thoughts of suicide.
Learn more about the importance of Strong Families and why protecting children matters.
- Frederick County Data
- Resources to learn more about Positive Childhood Experiences:
- Local ways to get your family or youth involved:
- For Businesses
Data about Positive Childhood Experiences (PCE) is gathered from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). This national survey is designed by CDC and adopted by Maryland. It is given to middle and high school students every other year.
The most recent survey was from the 2022-2023 school year. The PCE data is provided in this report, and key slides are highlighted below. Click on slides to see them larger.
- American Society for the Positive Care of Children (SPCC): https://americanspcc.org/positive-childhood-experience/
- Center for Child Wellbeing and Trauma: https://childwellbeingandtrauma.org/healing-and-prevention/positive-childhood-experiences/
- PineTree Institute: https://pinetreeinstitute.org/positive-childhood-experiences/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/aces/prevention/index.html
- Prevent Child Abuse: https://preventchildabuse.org/resources/balancing-adverse-childhood-experiences-with-hope/
- 211 Maryland: https://211md.org/resources/children-families/aces/
- https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2019/for-better-adult-mental-and-relational-health-boost-positive-childhood-experiences
- https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7317a3.htm
- https://www.pacesconnection.com/blog/got-your-ace-resilience-scores
- American Society for the Positive Care of Children (SPCC): https://americanspcc.org/positive-childhood-experience/
- Center for Child Wellbeing and Trauma: https://childwellbeingandtrauma.org/healing-and-prevention/positive-childhood-experiences/
- PineTree Institute: https://pinetreeinstitute.org/positive-childhood-experiences/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/aces/prevention/index.html
- Prevent Child Abuse: https://preventchildabuse.org/resources/balancing-adverse-childhood-experiences-with-hope/
- 211 Maryland: https://211md.org/resources/children-families/aces/
- https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2019/for-better-adult-mental-and-relational-health-boost-positive-childhood-experiences
- https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7317a3.htm
- https://www.pacesconnection.com/blog/got-your-ace-resilience-scores
On the Mark/ Adolescent Clubhouse provides a safe, community-based clubhouse that provides developmentally appropriate activities and services grounded in a peer based support system.
Kids Like Us is a multi-year, counseling, support program for youth impacted by the alcohol or substance use of a close family member. KLU’s mission is to break the cycle of addiction by identifying youth impacted by the substance misuse of a family member by engaging them in best practices of prevention in both school and community settings.
Family Partnership offers child development services, a family support center, home visitation, parent education and support groups, and a youth program with GED prep and career development opportunities.
Building Resilient Families provides advocacy and peer support for families impacted by incarceration, substance use and involvement in the child welfare system.
Boys and Girls Club provides a safe and fun place for youth to go during out-of-school time to engage in enriching programs and activities.
ABH Mentoring provides onsite and offsite services to help enhance youth’s daily functioning based on desired goals and identified behavior problems.
Living Well Youthworks offers mentoring and life skills training for students of all ages.
Empowering Community Leaders Network, Inc. offers Sisters Wholesome Aspiring towards Greatness (S.W.A.G.) which provides educational and cultural enhancement opportunities that foster leadership development in middle school girls.
Lead4Life offers mentoring programs to include social mentoring, clinical mentoring, parent mentoring and transitional youth mentoring.
Excel Youth provides therapeutic mentoring/psychiatric rehabilitation program (PRP) to focus on helping youth develop skills to increase their capacity to be successful in their living, learning and social environments.
City Youth Matrix helps families with limited resources access a spectrum of enrichment programs and experiences for youth by eliminating financial, transportation and cultural barriers.
YMCA offers youth sports, arts and crafts, teen programming, homeschool programs, birth to five child development and before/after school program.
Parks and Rec offers recreational programs for all ages and community events.
Support for infants and families of infants:
Family Connects provides a free at-home newborn visit with a nurse, who can provide care and personalized resources.
Healthy Families is an accredited voluntary home visiting program designed to support first-time parents by providing services, support and access to community agency resources.
Infant & Toddlers provides early intervention services to support young children and their families with developmental needs.
Developmental Center provides specialized health and education-related services that positively impact children, their families and eligible adults in their daily lives.
Help us spread the word about PCEs! You can post the picture below to your Facebook or Instagram page.
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It’s Time to Talk about PCEs (Positive Childhood Experiences)
These experiences make a difference in a child's life! Children who experience 6 or 7 of these core PCEs are 4x less likely to suffer from adverse mental health such as anxiety and depression.
To begin learning about PCEs go to Health.FrederickCountyMD.gov/PCE.