Research shows that ACEs are at the root of many crises our community faces today. Gun violence, domestic abuse, overflowing jails, homelessness, child abuse, addiction, chronic disease, and mental illness are often the adult results of early childhood trauma. 

 “As a society, we simply can't afford to wait for children to fall apart before we do something. From ACEs science, effective strategies have emerged. It’s time to invest in them. NOW.” Renée Layman, Center for Child Counseling. Action now is more important than ever. Strategies to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic on children's mental health is urgent. 

Leading the FightBarbara Pariente has been a lawyer and a judge in a career spanning over forty-six years. She served as a Justice on the Florida Supreme Court from 1998 until her retirement in January of 2019. During that time she served as Chief Justice; authored over 1000 opinions; participated in cases from Bush v. Gore (the presidential election case) to Terri Schiavo to redistricting following the passage of the Fair District Amendment.

Her commitment to ensuring that cases involving children and families received the utmost attention in the court system and her advocacy for a fair and impartial judiciary are two of many issues she championed during her twenty-one year tenure on the Court. She is a strong voice for children in our child welfare and juvenile justice systems and often speaks about the impact of ACEs.

On May 20, 2021, Justice Pariente will facilitate a leader panel as part of an action-oriented, 3-part Lead the Fight series, developed in response to the pandemic by Justice Pariente and our CEO Renée Layman to develop long-term strategies to support children's resilience and well-being.