Trauma Sensitive Practices in Early Childhood

BUILDING A TRAUMA-INFORMED EARLY CHILDHOOD WORKFORCE

CHDI is working to support young children exposed to trauma by developing research-based training to guide early childhood professionals in implementing trauma-informed and healing practices.

Training in Trauma Sensitive Practices

Trauma Sensitive Practices in Early Childhood is a partnership between CHDI and the Minnesota Department of Education to develop a training series for early childhood intervention practitioners. One in four children will witness or experience a trauma exposure by the age of four. Given the high prevalence of trauma exposure among young children, early childhood settings are ideal places to implement trauma-informed and healing practices.

The Trauma Sensitive Practices in Early Childhood training series:

• Fosters an understanding of how children and their caregivers are impacted by trauma
• Builds practitioners’ competencies in identifying signs and symptoms of traumatic stress
• Provides strategies to work with children and families in supportive ways to mitigate the effects of trauma

The course series consists of a 9-hour foundational course on trauma and early childhood and three 3-hour advanced courses: one for in-home visitors, one for classroom-based practitioners, and one for early childhood leadership. All trainings are designed to be completed synchronously or asynchronously, meaning the courses can be led by a facilitator through in-person or virtual sessions, or learners can take the courses independently online and at their own pace.

Feedback from practitioners about the training, included:

“The content is excellent and the examples/scenarios provided are applicable.”

“This helped me to reconsider my approaches to things in my practices, even at home.”

Content Contributors and Experts

CHDI worked with the Center for Trauma Training and the Connecticut Association for Infant Mental Health to develop this online training series. Additionally, online training content is being developed with input from family members with lived experience.