Iowa BEST: Behavioral, Equitable, Social-Emotional, Trauma-Informed Health in Sc

In the face and aftermath of a global pandemic and countless other individual and collective adversities, many students in todays’ schools bring life experiences of trauma or toxic stress into the classroom. In this presentation, we share a clear neurobiological storyline about the essential ingredients for healthy development and the impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on the developing brain and how this can impact learning, behavior and school success. We focus our time together on sharing a practical framework of trauma-informed school practices designed to integrate positive behavior interventions and supports and social emotional learning so we may use these times as an opportunity to leverage resilience and growth for all.