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PROTECTIVE FACTORS

How to protect children when life happens

Even when we have built a strong foundation for well-being in our families and communities, life’s “storms” can hit hard. There are ways we can individually, and more importantly, as a community, protect children and adolescents. 

What are protective factors?

Protective factors are tangible things that are good for children’s health and development. When a child has many protective factors in their life, it is less likely that they will experience severe adversity or develop a toxic stress response. For children who experience many ACEs in the early years, protective factors are especially important as a counterbalance. 

Protective factors can exist in children’s lives, in families and in communities. Keep reading about these factors that buffer a child from ACEs and promote healthy development.

Child protective factors

  • Positive friendships and peer networks.
  • Doing well in school.
  • Caring adults outside the family who serve as mentors/role models.

Research shows children thrive when they have  at least two adults in their life who are not their parents, but who genuinely care about the child. These trusted adults can be extended family members like grandparents, aunts, uncles or community members like coaches, teachers, youth group leaders, neighbors or family friends.

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Family Protective Factors

These include:

  • A child’s basic needs of food, shelter and health services are met. If you need help with essential needs, call 2-1-1 or search for resources in our database.
  • Adult family members have strong social support networks and positive relationships with the people around them.
  • Adult family members work through their conflicts peacefully and help children work through the challenges in their lives, whether in the early years or tweens/teens
  • Families engage in fun, positive activities together.

Community protective factors

Maryland Essentials for Childhood works toward communities where all children, youth and their families thrive in safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments. Our work, whether informing policy, partnering with community-based organizations or providing resources for families, is grounded in this vision. 

We all need to work together to support children and create communities where everyone thrives. Protective factors in a community include things like:

  • All families having access to work opportunities with family-friendly policies. 
  • Economic and financial help.
  • Medical care and mental health services.
  • Safe and stable housing.
  • High-quality childcare.
  • Safe and engaging after-school programs and activities.
  • Violence-free neighborhoods where residents feel connected to each other and are involved in the community.
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Find Community Support

211 can help connect you to many of these community protective factors. Call 2-1-1 to connect with community support. You can call 24/7/365. Or, search for parenting and essential resources near you.

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How your pediatrician can help

Having access to medical care is a critical protective factor. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends 15 well-child visits during the first six years of your child’s life. Well-child visits are an opportunity for you and your health providers to connect and celebrate what’s going well, meet your family’s needs and address any concerns. 

It’s also a good time for health care providers to learn about any family traditions or cultural norms that might impact your child’s health and development.

The Well Visit Planner online tool can help make those visits to the pediatrician’s office as meaningful as possible. 

This free English and Spanish tool, specifically designed by and for families, is proven to:

  • save you time during your visit
  • make more time for personalized conversations with your child's health provider 
  • helps you and your care team prepare to discuss your priorities and goals

The tool is thoughtfully designed and backed by research, so you can trust the information and results provided are high quality and expert-approved. Get the Well Visit Planner

Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) lay the foundation for healthy development

Our knowledge of what factors impact healthy child development has expanded dramatically over the past few decades. While science informs our actions at Maryland Essentials for Childhood, all trusted adults have the tools to build a child's brain and encourage healthy development. You are the single most important factor in helping a child develop a strong foundation.

Science tells us that positive childhood experiences are protective factors for preventing and reducing the impact of adverse childhood experiences

Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) are experiences during childhood that promote safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments – at home, at school, and in the community – and are protective factors for ACEs. 

Mom and daughter blowing bubbles

PCEs lay a foundation of optimal child development and social connectedness despite adversity. PCEs can also prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and buffer children from the negative lifelong impact of ACEs on health, behavior and relationships when they do occur. (CDC, 2019).

Positive Childhood Experiences are...

1. The ability to talk with family about feelings.

2. Feeling that my family is supportive in difficult times.

3. Enjoying participation in community traditions.

4. Feelings of belonging in high school.

5. Feelings of being supported by friends.

6. Having 2 adults (non-family members) who genuinely care.

7. Feeling safe and protected at home.

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Keep learning by watching this video

on Positive Childhood Experiences Science.

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The Superpower of Safe, Stable and Nurturing Relationships

The CDC uses the phrase “safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments” to describe the types of personal connections and everyday conditions that prevent child maltreatment, promote healthy development and build resilience.  

They define the terms as:

Safe - A child is free from fear and secure from physical or psychological harm within the relationship and the environment.

Stable  – The child can count on the adult to be there for them. The child can predictably and consistently depend upon the physical environment.

Nurturing – The adult consistently and sensitively meets the child’s physical, emotional and developmental needs.

To be a caring adult who meet a child’s needs, perfection isn’t required, but consistency is important. Of course, there will be times when we have a bad day, feel down or lose our temper. In those moments, we may be less likely to tune into the child or express caring and concern. If those moments are temporary and occasional, children can still feel safe and know they can count on us. 

How to create these relationships

Try these ways to encourage healthy development with love, care and concern in your safe, stable and nurturing relationship:

  • Get to know the child, what’s happening in his life and what interests him.  Be someone who is interested in him.
  • Be in the moment with the child. There are times when it is important just to be present and “be with” the child… there is no need to “fix” what may be a concern… sometimes your ”being with” and present is all that is needed. Be someone they can lean on.
  • Put away or turn off distractions…phones, work, TV, etc.
  • Be a good listener, curious, reflective, and non-judgmental.
  • Don’t use shame and guilt to control behavior.
  • Attend important events in the child’s life. Be someone who believes in them.
  • Provide lots of opportunities to laugh and play together.
  • Remember, neither you nor the child, need to be perfect to build a loving and supportive relationship.
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211 Maryland and The Family Tree Can Offer Support

Know that the community is available to help you! If you have a parenting question, get answers by calling The Family Tree 24/7 Parenting HelpLine at 1-800-243-7337. 

If you’re feeling stressed or have other mental health concerns, call 2-1-1 and sign up for Health Check. The weekly check-in program connects you with someone who is eager to listen and help connect you to community resources and support.