North Carolina School Targets Childhood Stress

ASHEVILLE, NC -- From “peace” tables to group hugs, one Asheville school is targeting toxic stress in children in hopes of heading off its long term effects.

Research shows that persistent stress early in life for young children can eventually put them at risk later in life for illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, the Associated Press reported.

While there is no precise data, an estimated “hundreds of thousands” of children are subjected to toxic stress due to being near domestic abuse, neighborhood violence or bullying at school, Charles Nelson, neuroscientist at Boston Children’s Hospital said.

Without intervention, toxic stress may damage young brain and harm the body, Nelson said.(Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Charlotte Patch. iPhone users can download the Patch app in the App Store. Plus, like Charlotte Patch on Facebook.)

The Verner Center for Early Learning in Asheville uses breathing activities, a “peace” table, and a “soft and safe place where they can go to have their big emotion,” said Laura Martin, who is a manager for the center. “We have a lot of intentional techniques that we use to help kids who have a history of adversity be regulated inside our classroom walls,” Martin said.

Check out this video to learn more about toxic stress in children and the Verner Center’s approach.

Photo via Pixabay