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Kristi Schliep

kristi.schliep@yfci.org

MAY 2024

In March I attended a conference on missionary kid care and education. An organization called TCK Training has done a large-scale research project on the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on missionary kids (MKs). Adverse Childhood Experiences are a set of traumatic experiences that, as the CDC says, “can have lasting, negative effects on health, wellbeing in childhood and life opportunities, such as education and job potential, well into adulthood.” ACEs were first identified by a research project led by the CDC and Kaiser in the mid-1990s. Children with ACE scores of four or more see an increase in chronic health problems, relational struggles, and have a higher rate of victimization. Organizations who work with children and youth pay attention to the ACE scores of the people they serve.

TCK Training found that 17% of MKs have ACE scores of four or more, putting them in the most vulnerable category. This statistic is consistent with the percentage of Americans who have an ACE score of four or more before they turn 18. While it is discouraging to hear that missionary kids experience similar rates of Adverse Childhood Experiences as the average American child, it has been encouraging to consider the role of schools, and particularly boarding schools, in providing care to students at risk.

Caring for MKs at BFA

Adverse Childhood Experiences are not the end of the story. There is no way a parent or community can completely prevent a child from ever experiencing trauma. However, there are a wealth of ways parents and communities can provide Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) that help counteract, heal, and guard against the ACEs.

The list of PCEs are:

1. The ability to talk with family about feelings.
2. The sense that family is supportive during difficult times.
3. The enjoyment of participation in community traditions.
4. Feeling a sense of belonging in high school.
5. Feeling supported by friends.
6. Having at least two non-parent adults who genuinely care.
7. Feeling safe and protected by an adult in the home.

When I saw this list, I thought about the countless families and students I have talked with over the years who made the decision to partner with BFA in the education of their children. So often these kids had been struggling in whatever context they were in as they entered high school. BFA directly partnered with families to provide numbers 3-6 on the PCE list, while families continued to meet the other needs of their children.

At BFA, our students are brought into rhythms of school life that include rich community traditions, like Opening Ceremonies, Spiritual Emphasis Week, Service Project Trips, and Graduation. For many of our students, BFA is the first place they feel like they belong. They do not fit in entirely with their friends in the nations where their parents serve and they don’t entirely fit in with friends from their passport countries, but surrounded by other Third Culture Kids, they find a strong sense of belonging. As students settle into BFA, they form deep friendships in the dorms or on their sports teams or in their small groups and find the support and encouragement they need to navigate adolescence.

One of our alumni wrote, “Like many of my peers, I’ve attended many schools over the years in a variety of locations and cultures. This is the only place I have experienced where the desire and action to help a student thrive and grow mentally, emotionally and spiritually is not just found in one or two ‘favorite’ teachers, but is embodied in the core ethos of the entire staff and lived out authentically both in and out of the classroom.” Our students are overwhelmed by the genuine care they receive from the adults in the BFA community. It is rare that one of our students would only have two adults who are deeply invested in them during middle school and high school.

Missionary kids may be vulnerable to high rates of Adverse Childhood Experiences, but schools like Black Forest Academy exist to partner with families in the care of their children, providing Positive Childhood Experiences that can have a lasting impact. I am grateful to be part of such work.

Kristi Schliep