Millions of children in California are at risk of experiencing toxic stress, or the excessive and prolonged activation of the body's stress response system due to traumatic experiences like a difficult divorce, loss of a parent, neglect or abuse. When experienced in early childhood, toxic stress can have serious, lasting consequences for a child's physical and mental health by disrupting brain development, impairing immune system function, and altering the body's stress response system.
To help prevent these health concerns upstream, First 5 California worked with Rescue Agency to develop a new campaign called Stronger Starts, which provides parents with crucial information about recognizing the signs of toxic stress and how to protect their children.
Our ad “Doctor: How Toxic Stress Can Impact Children” explains that there’s an issue affecting many children that pediatricians can’t solve alone: toxic stress. Children may experience toxic stress in response to very difficult situations, like the loss of a loved one or long-term exposure to harsh language. If toxic stress builds up in their bodies, it can affect their health.
We also developed an ad called “Signs of Growth” to explain why parents should know about the dangers of toxic stress and motivate them to take steps to prevent toxic stress. Additionally, we developed the ad “Crecer Bien” to provide important information about toxic stress to Spanish-speaking caregivers.
All ads direct parents to First 5 California’s Stronger Starts interactive website where they can learn ways to protect to their children from experiencing toxic stress.
We’re excited to announce that Stronger Starts recently won a Gold Telly Creative Award, as well as a Platinum Hermes Creative Award!
If you’d like to learn more about working with us on your next early childhood development campaign, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team.