What is Your Why?: Monthly Storytelling With ACEs Workgroup Member Pat Rosensteel

The ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences in Adolescents) has continued making meaningful progress towards reducing ACEs and increasing PACEs (Protective and Compensatory Childhood Experiences) in our communities. The CDC defines ACEs as “potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years). Frederick community members, like Pat Rosensteel, are actively working to prevent and reduce these experiences through joining the LHIP ACEs Workgroup. Rosensteel has been dedicated to her role as Board President at the Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership since early 2019.Coalition intern, Elena Della Mea, recently had the great pleasure to discuss the ACEs workgroup accomplishments and significance more in depth with Rosensteel.

Rosensteel has a background in early childhood education and working with organizations centered on children’s welfare. She said the workgroup came about when she was a board member for Frederick County IACC and at a time when people were becoming more aware of ACEs, which would lead to “…dividing into committees to look at some of these issues which started the ACEs Workgroup.” These would eventually be taken over by the Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County. Rosensteel emphasized that this work involves “really looking at root problems children encounter.”

Currently, Rosensteel serves as a Co-Lead for the ACEs workgroup alongside Erin Gambrill, Youth Services Coordinator with the Frederick County Public Libraries. Together, their work aims to promote the importance of ACEs in the community. One successful initiative of the Workgroup has involved building the Strong Families campaign. Strong Families now has a comprehensive website that entails a range of resources for community-based efforts and resources to prevent child maltreatment and strengthen families. This campaign is utilizing grant funds to create consistent messaging. In discussion about the impact of Strong Families and the ACEs Workgroup, Rosensteel shared, “For me, this work is a natural extension of what I have always done. I have been a proponent for advocacy for children and their families.” 

The ACEs workgroup contains a diverse set of voices from people working in public schools, organizations, and the health department. When asked who could be involved in the ACEs workgroup, Rosensteel replied, “We need more parent voices and parent perspectives.” 

To learn more about the ACEs Workgroup’s mission, click here!  

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