Bessel van der Kolk articulates his dream: every kid in America gets five hours of reading, writing, arithmetic — and self-regulation — starting in kindergarten. Not as an add-on funded by philanthropists from California, but as core curriculum.
“Every kid in America needs five hours reading, writing, arithmetic and self-regulation starting in kindergarten.”
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are the biggest source of mental illness, opioid addiction, heart disease, and the biggest drain on the economy. Countries like Finland and Denmark score better educationally because their societies address ACEs at the core of their school systems. If you treat kids well, they’ll be curious, eager to learn, and eager to get along — because they feel safe.
Joe notes that scaling through teachers (not the school system bureaucracy) allowed them to reach 700,000 kids with mindfulness practices for just half a million dollars. The infrastructure exists; the political will doesn’t.