Ensuring Lower Russian River Area kindergarteners succeed: Start with Reducing ACEs
with West County Health Centers, The Guerneville School District, and River to Coast Children’s Services
ILN is guiding a multiphase and multiyear effort to reduce toxic stress in 0 to 5 year olds.
As a systems advisor and consultant, the ILN enabled River to Coast Children’s Services, the Guerneville School District, and West County Health Centers to illuminate the complexity in adverse childhood events. Through facilitation, it held the space for co-design, power sharing, and a “joyful and serious” acceleration of the work with the conveners and stakeholders.
Why stress matters
Toxic stress impacts the health and well-being of all humans but has an outsized negative impact on the long-term health of 0 – 5-year-olds as their developing bodies create maladaptive responses.
In dealing with these kinds of challenges, communities often wonder why particular babies and kids have toxic stress. Insightful communities will wonder why the community (system) itself is generating toxic stress. This is a subtle and powerful shift from focus on the individual to focus on the system and is the first step into “systems thinking.”
The ILN enabled liberatory conditions. For example, shifting from “leaders” to “conveners” created a wider net of shared power and ownership with the many stakeholders who chose to contribute their expertise of life and professional experiences.
The effort is called ‘Project 100’ as a reminder that there are 100 babies born in the lower Russian River Area (LRRA) each year. The conveners launched in June 2023 and developed the guiding star: All 0-5-year-olds in the Lower Russian River area thrive in safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments.
In September 2023, the ILN facilitated 40 stakeholders including parents, teachers, caregivers, medical staff, paramedics, business owners, politicians and others who identified 257 enablers and inhibitors driving adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the lower Russian River Area.
Next, the group created the first rudimentary cause-and-effect system loops. For the next several months, the ILN guided the conveners as they created, refined, and validated 77 system loops, and assembled them into a complex and bilingual systems map.
Click around the system map:
In April 2024, the ILN again facilitated stakeholders in using the system map to identify areas of outsized impact. These 16 leverage points are currently being used by the stakeholders to initiate projects, grants, and other efforts across the community.
“I wasn’t sure that [systems thinking] would lead to anything. But for the first time, I saw my story in the system, and now I’m ready to figure this out!”
Stakeholder at April 2024 Leverage Meeting
“Project 100 has been a fascinating journey and learning process. We are now better prepared to take advantage of any funding opportunity that may arise.”
Soledad Figueroa, Executive Director of River to Coast Children’s Services
Guerneville School District prepares students to be respectful, responsible members of their community by teaching to the whole student, addressing physical and mental well-being.
West County Health Centers provides comprehensive, quality and accessible health care services to the communities of western Sonoma County.
River to Coast Children’s Services offer resources, referrals, support and opportunities to child care providers, families, and communities in Western Sonoma County.