Published in Children’s Voice, Volume 34, Number 1
by Staverne Miller and Lauren Baker
Kayla has been working toward this day for months. Today, she will earn her yellow belt in karate. Her father sits among other parents, taking pictures as she confidently moves through all of her forms and even breaks a wood panel in two with a strong kick. Her father marvels at this confident, enthusiastic girl who, only a year ago, was failing in school, having trouble with bullying, and was miserable.
Kayla lost her mother to a drug overdose. On top of this shock, she then needed to acclimate to living with her father for the first time. They had help, though; Kayla and her father received support from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF). Kayla’s social worker helped them access therapeutic services they needed. And, when Kayla expressed an interest in karate, she called on the Wonderfund to help pay for it.
Months later, the social worker shared a thank-you note from Kayla’s father. He said he never would have been able to afford the lessons that had made such a huge difference for Kayla. In fact, he said that being part of that karate school had done more for Kayla than any therapy she’d ever had.
The Wonderfund, a private nonprofit, partners with the Massachusetts DCF to provide all children engaged with DCF with the resources and opportunities they need to experience the joyful moments of childhood that every child deserves. This trusted partnership makes it easy for DCF social workers to make requests and for the Wonderfund to deliver funding and emergency essentials without confronting the red tape that can slow down the process in the public sector.
When a child is involved with the child welfare system, they already have endured traumatic situations. Often, because their family is in crisis, children miss those important moments in childhood that can have a long-lasting, positive impact. They miss out on being a part of their little league team, taking driver’s ed, or going to summer camp. When the state steps in to ensure a child’s safety and protection, the Wonderfund also can be there to assist.
There is a growing body of research on childhood trauma that suggests that despite having a number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs,) a child can, with the help of positive childhood experiences (PCEs), build the resilience that they need to grow to their full potential, and mitigate the impact of trauma on their lifelong health and wellbeing (Sege et al., 2017). A lot of attention has been given recently to ACEs—defined as experiences including abuse, neglect, and violence in the home. There is a direct correlation between ACEs and significant health-related issues in adult years. Today, there is a growing acknowledgement that when considering a child’s trauma profile, we must also consider their PCEs: experiences that make a child feel safe, cared for, and connected to adults and peers, such as having a family member they can talk to and feeling like they belong (Bethell et. al, 2019). Parents, caregivers, and community members can create experiences and environments that allow children to feel protected and cared for. Increasing the number of PCEs in a child’s life also builds resilience for those who have experienced trauma: “PCEs in childhood and good mental health in adults is dose-responsive, meaning the more positive experiences that individuals had, the more likely they were to report few or no issues of adult mental health challenges” (American SPCC, n.d.).
One of the ways in which the Wonderfund helps children achieve resilience is by providing them with access to joyful, healthy activities that give them opportunities to build PCEs while they are involved in the child welfare system. We focus on “higher dosage” experiences, like a semester of karate lessons or a summer’s worth of day camp. We also provide access to experiences like visits to museums, parks, theaters, and zoos. When a child is able to choose these repeated activities, they get the added benefits of agency, predictability, and more opportunities to build the critical, caring relationships that we know are so important.
A social worker’s responsibility is to ensure that families have the necessary support to keep children safe and helpful routines intact. Typically, these are therapeutic services—but social workers know that families need more. To maintain confidentiality, the Massachusetts DCF reaches out to the Wonderfund with requests, typically receives fast approval, and gets resources to children quickly. Social workers can ask children what they’d like to do after school or suggest trying a new activity, visiting a museum or attending a camp. It is intensely gratifying for social workers to make the request knowing that the Wonderfund will say yes. Social workers turn to the Wonderfund to help parents make inroads with their communities. “Families need strong support systems that will be there beyond their DCF involvement. Social workers know they can use the Wonderfund to find activities families can do together, like swimming lessons at a local pool or a parent/child art class,” says Jacqueline Appiah, a DCF social worker-turned-administrator who facilitates the Wonderfund’s relationship with the agency’s Central Massachusetts offices. “Being able to provide space to meet other parents or connect a child with a mentor goes a long way toward stabilization.”
When home is not safe, the Wonderfund can make a profound difference for youth like Rosa, who was in and out of foster care for most of her life because her mother couldn’t take care of her. At 16, Rosa was beginning to make some poor decisions, and her social worker was concerned. Speaking about the upcoming February school vacation, Rosa mentioned swimming at the YMCA and maybe even taking a lifeguarding course. The social worker jumped at the opportunity to make that request, and the Wonderfund paid for a vacation week lifeguard certification program for Rosa. She chose what she wanted to do, earned her certification, got a great paying summer job in a healthy environment, and made many new friends. We’d say that the first life this lifeguard saved was her own.
One of our favorite stories is about a young teen who lived in a group home. He wanted a forever family, but his adoption had fallen through four times and, understandably, this boy was struggling with behavioral issues. His social worker requested funds for cleats and fees so that he could join his local Pop Warner football team. The Wonderfund gave him funding for three years in a row. During that time, he developed a real connection with his coaches and teammates. They stuck with him. The sense of structure, kindness, and belonging made a huge difference. His behavior wasn’t an issue anymore. More importantly, he got to know the families in his football community—and one of them is now in the process of adopting him. Football cleats changed the course of this young man’s life.
While we do not track individual children over time, we do know from the letters we receive from parents and children, and from the stories relayed by social workers, that the Wonderfund creates a sense of joy and empowerment for children and families. We also know, both intuitively and through research, that trauma does not have to define a child’s life. Participating in community activities with peers helps detract from the stigma and pain associated with trauma and reassures children that they have a place where they belong, even if there is uncertainty in their own families. Together, the Wonderfund and the Massachusetts DCF have created a way to provide the enriching experiences every child deserves that we know can improve their chances of building a healthier, happier life.
Staverne Miller, MSW, LCSW, is the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF), a state child welfare agency serving 38,000 children and youth with a staff of 4,200. She is a 35-year veteran of the department, having served as a social worker and in various management and leadership roles, including as assistant commissioner for foster care, adoption, and adolescent and young adult services. Under Commissioner Miller’s leadership, DCF prioritizes policy development, best practices, and training children to ensure that children’s permanency goals remain at the forefront of every stage of their DCF involvement.
Lauren Schadt Baker is the founder and CEO of the Wonderfund, a private nonprofit that provides resources and opportunities to children engaged with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. From 2015-2023, Lauren served alongside her husband, Governor Charlie Baker. As First Lady, Lauren worked to improve the lives of the children of Massachusetts, focusing on the launch of the Wonderfund in 2017. Additionally, in 2020, she was a co-founder of the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund, which raised over $33 million for statewide emergency humanitarian relief. Her continued passion for service and social responsibility is evident through her commitment to a number of causes. Lauren actively serves on the Board of Directors for Upstream, the Museum of Science, and the Phoenix Charter Academy Foundation. She also serves as an expert advisor for Pathways to Resilience, a national initiative to raise awareness of the impact of trauma and to advance trauma-responsive policies and programs across sectors. Lauren began her professional life in advertising, managing communications strategies for consumer and technology brands. She holds an undergraduate degree in English from Northwestern University and MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
References
American Society for the Positive Care of Children (American SPCC). (n.d.). Positive childhood experiences. https://americanspcc.org/positive-childhood-experience/
Bethell, S., Jones, J., Gombojav, N., Linenback, J., & Sege, R. (2019). Positive childhood experiences and adult mental health and relational health in a statewide sample. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(11), e193007. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2749336
Sege, R., Bethell, C., Linkenach, J., Jones, J., Klika, B. & Pecora, P.J. (2017). Balancing adverse childhood experiences with HOPE: New insights into the role of positive experience on child and family development. Center for the Study of Social Policy. https://cssp.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/08/Balancing-ACEs-with-HOPE-FINAL.pdf
