Encore Lara Kain: PACEs Connection Goes Back to School

As the summer winds down, its time to go back to school. This month, we will examine America's school system. In recent years, COVID-19, school shootings, affirmation of LGBTQ students, institutional racism, critical race theory, teacher burnout, and parent's rights have transformed America's schools into cultural battlegrounds. As a result, students, teachers, and administrators are experiencing poor mental health outcomes, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. In this episode, we will discuss why trauma-informed education is imperative in schools as we navigate the impact of stress and trauma on students, teachers, and the community. As the Educational Consultant for PACEs Connection, Lara brings her deep understanding of the importance of schools as community drivers for change. Lara is an experienced educator and consultant who speaks nationally on implementing trauma-informed practices in schools and building holistic, trauma-responsive systems. Lara brings over two decades of experience at the local, state, and national levels, including developing programs for integrating trauma-informed practices into community schools in Los Angeles. She worked for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as the state homeless coordinator and practiced her first love, teaching 'at-risk' youth. Lara has a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MPA from The Evergreen State College. As an example of her understanding of the micro and the macro, Lara’s experience ranges from supporting individual teachers to designing a trauma-informed schools pilot implemented in 20 schools across the country. Lara has worked both as a teacher and administrator putting the science of building resilience into practice. For Lara, who is a trauma survivor and was herself an 'at-risk' youth, this work is deeply personal. She understands what schools can and should look like to benefit ALL children. As the mother of two adopted sons, she understands the effects of developmental trauma and what it takes to overcome it. Born in the Midwest, she lived for over a decade in the Pacific Northwest, and is now a transplant to Southern California, where she lives with her husband and two boys. The beach is her happy place.