As kids head back to school, there will be heartwarming stories in the media about donated school supplies, and more hard-hitting features about academic achievement and standardized tests.
At DCAC, we think the bigger question is: Are these children ready to learn?
For too many students, the answer is NO. Children who have been subjected to sexual and physical abuse are not ready to learn. Neglected children and those living in chaotic and violent homes are not ready to learn.
These children cannot concentrate, cannot sit still, they act out or are unnaturally withdrawn. These children suffer from trauma. Traumatized children will never be ready to learn no matter how much effort is put into teaching and testing.
At DCAC, we help children be ready to learn by…
- Protecting them from abuse, neglect and violence through prevention programs for students, parents and teachers. Denver Safe from the Start reaches more than 4,000 Denver Public School students ages 3-10.
- Intervening early in the lives of struggling single-parent families to help them be the best parents they can be and raise healthy, well-adjusted children. The Community Outreach Mental Health Initiative reaches more than 1,000 children.
- Providing evidence-based interventions for traumatized children that “reroute” the brain’s neural pathways, and teaching their parents how to support healing and healthy development. Our Assessment and Treatment Program helps more than 750 children heal from trauma.
You can help DCAC make sure every child is ready to learn in school this fall. Please consider making a gift to the Denver Children’s Advocacy Center.