Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) Repository

HOPE Introduction Whiteboard Video

HOPE – Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences – is based out of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Ma. They represent a paradigm shift in how we see and talk about the positive experiences that support children’s growth and development into healthy, resilient adults.

Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) - Supportive Strategies Series

The Supportive Strategies Series features three-minute episodes based on research and best practice. Learn more about Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs).

Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences (PACEs)

Dr. Rebecca Bryan, Executive Director of the DCF Office of Resilience, talks around the groundbreaking work happening through the office around Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences (PACEs), and what they can mean for the lifelong health and social connections of individuals who experience both.

The Power of Positive Childhood Experiences

Dr. Melissa Walls, co-director of the Center for Indigenous Health and a member of the Bois Forte and Couchiching First Nation bands, talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about her research with benevolent childhood experiences among Indigenous communities. They discuss the importance of researching the positive, not only for public health, but in celebrating the inherent strengths of Indigenous individuals, their families, and culture.

Family Focus: How Positive Childhood Experiences Affect Mental Health

Mallika Marshall and Paula Ebben discuss the benefits of positive childhood experiences.

How Early Childhood Experiences Affect Lifelong Health and Learning

In this animated video, learn what the science tells us about how early experiences affect not only early learning and school readiness, but also lifelong health and well-being.

Improving Family Bonding: Parental Technoference

In this Public Service Announcement from the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, parents are reminded that we all can do better around parental technoference--the intrusion of technology into valuable bonding time with our families--and it's as easy as putting down the phone and being present for our children.

Check out these free, downloadable resources and tips on creating positive childhood experiences.

• Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey (PCA NJ): Tips for Parents

• PCA NJ: ChildWIN Booklet

• HOPE Toolkit for Educators

• Positive Childhood Experiences: Building Blocks of HOPE

• Creating Positive Experiences for Your Infant

• Creating Positive Experiences for Your Toddler

• Creating Positive Experiences for School Aged Kids

• Creating Positive Childhood Experiences for Teens

Review this curated collection of scholarly articles and research focused on positive childhood experiences (PCEs), designed to provide insights and evidence-based practices that highlight how nurturing environments and supportive relationships can foster resilience and promote healing in children.

Ten Takeaways from PCEs Research
Citation: Sege RD, Aslam MV, Peterson C, et al. Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Health and Opportunity Outcomes in 4 US States. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(7):e2524435

Positive Childhood Experiences: Juvenile Justice System
Citation: Winn, A., Hannan, K., Sege, R., & Burstein, D. (2025). Reimagining the juvenile justice system through the healthy outcomes from positive experiences framework. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(5), 782.

Recent Review and Research on PCEs
Citation: Hero, J., Gallant, L., Burstein, D., Newberry, S., Qureshi, N., Feistel, K., Anderson, K. N., Hannan, K., & Sege, R. (2025). Health associations of positive childhood experiences: A scoping review of the literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(1), 59.

Impact of Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences in Adolescence
Citation: Kemp, L., Elcombe, E., Blythe, S., Grace, R., Donohoe, K., & Sege, R. (2024). The Impact of Positive and Adverse Experiences in Adolescence on Health and Wellbeing Outcomes in Early Adulthood. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(9), 1147.

Prevalence of positive childhood experiences among adults, Four States 2015-2021
Citation: Sege, R., Swedo, E. A., Burstein, D., Aslam, M. V., Jones, J., Bethell, C., & Niolon, P. H. (2024). Prevalence of positive childhood experiences among adults — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Four States, 2015–2021. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 73(17), 399–404.

Transforming practice with HOPE
Citation: Burstein, D., Yang, C., Johnson, K., Linkenbach, J., & Sege, R. (2021). Transforming practice with HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences). Maternal and Child Health Journal, 25(7), 1019–1024.

Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental Health

Citation: Bethell, C., Jones, J., Gombojav, N., Linkenbach, J., & Sege, R. (2019). Positive childhood experiences and adult mental and relational health in a statewide sample: associations across adverse childhood experiences levels. JAMA pediatrics, 173(11), e193007.