RED BLUFF – California Surgeon General Dr. Diana Ramos visited Evergreen Union School District’s Bend Elementary School Thursday after the launch of a new trauma-informed training designed to help educators, school personnel and early care providers respond to trauma and stress in children.
The Office of the California Surgeon General collaborated with experts in education, youth mental health and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research to develop Safe Spaces Foundations of Trauma-Informed Practice for Educational and Care Settings.
“Research shows we can interrupt the negative cycle of ACEs and toxic stress,” Ramos said. “School educators, administrators, and other personnel are indispensable partners in the lives of our children. Our Safe Spaces training provides strategies that complement the work already being done to create a healthier environment for our children and communities.”
During the visit, Ramos met with Assistant Principal Jessica Gantenbein and Superintendent of Evergreen Union School District Brad Mendenhall, toured the school and even got to read a book to a combo class of transitional kindergarteners and kindergarteners. After the school visit, Ramos presented to First 5’s Early Intervention Partnership Collaborative Meeting—a group of administrators that work to create a coordinated system of prevention support and early intervention services for young children ages infant to 8 years old and their families in Tehama County.
“Bend Elementary School is the definition of a small, rural school. We are built on family and community. Despite our small population, we still have a number of students who have experienced or are experiencing trauma,” Gantenbein said. “While we have limited resources due to our small size and rural area, what we do have is an incredible staff who truly know and care for each child. They have also been trained in, believe in, and use trauma-informed practices. We are thankful to Ramos for taking extra time in her busy schedule to visit our wonderful school and to continue to promote the need for social-emotional learning.”
Current research indicates that ACEs affect student learning and behavior in the classroom. Children with three or more ACEs are five times more likely to have attendance issues, six times more likely to have behavior problems, and three times more likely to experience academic failure. Trauma-informed environments can play a critical role in enhancing resilience for children impacted by ACEs or other prolonged adversities.
“It is so important for Tehama, like other rural communities, to share both our strengths and our challenges with leaders, yet it is incredibly rare to have this opportunity in our home,” Heidi Mendenhall, Executive Director of First 5 Tehama, said. “Dr. Ramos not only shared critical information she showed up for our community placing value on our albeit small and yet still incredibly important and complex work. It is the stories behind the data that can illuminate a path forward, specifically when addressing toxic stress in young children and families. The stories, strategies and experiences shared today helped us move forward as an early intervention community.”
The training was made possible through California’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI)—a five-year, multi-billion initiative that is transforming the way California supports children, youth and families. To date, more than 4,500 individuals have initiated the training.
For more information, visit osg.ca.gov/safespaces. For more information about First 5, send an email to hmendenhall@first5tehama.
