CHAPTER Nine

Trauma-Informed Care in Schools and Communities

Truly effective trauma-informed practice moves beyond what you as an individual can do and encompasses all the other influences in a child’s life. It is like a ripple in a pond. The child is at the center, and the rings moving outward are the child’s family, you and other staff the child interacts with the most, the rest of your program setting, and the surrounding community.

In other chapters we discussed how to adjust your own practice to create a trauma-informed program that best serves children and how to work with the children’s families to support this work. In this chapter we will focus on the school community. The term school in this chapter encompasses the community surrounding your learning environment: you, your fellow teachers, your administrator, and all other staff, which may include food service staff, custodians, bus drivers, a school nurse, a librarian, specialists, and guidance counselors. All are members of the school community, and all share responsibility for one another, provide an environment where children can heal and learn, and create a social atmosphere of wellness where all members of the community are supported. In a family child care setting, this community includes other educators you have built relationships with and supervisors or support systems in your area.

Effective TIC relies on cooperation, which is especially essential for applying school- or community-wide TIC policies. This chapter is for both individual educators and the administrators who work with them. TIC policies must be implemented at all levels within the school and guided by school leaders. The intent of this chapter is to offer resources that can be shared with school decision makers.

TIC and the School Community

When a school embraces TIC, it is not simply individual educators who are putting TIC into practice. Rather, the entire system reorganizes to better support children with a history of trauma. This kind of school

❯  Provides an environment where healing can occur

❯  Has staff trained to show care and respect to children while seeking solutions and being supportive

❯  Is welcoming, affirmative, and safe, not only within individual classrooms but also in the organizational structure of the school, community, district, and region

❯  Extends the same kind of support to both children and the children’s families (Wolpow et al. 2016)

No single educator or staff member can create a true TIC learning environment; it takes a team effort. However, because you are a vital player in this effort, you need to look at the big picture to understand where and how you and your efforts fit in to the overall TIC plan. In addition, you will be able to recognize good practice and support the school as its TIC efforts evolve and expand.

The Four Rs Framework and Six Principles of TIC

To build a program-wide TIC program, a common foundation of information and ability to apply TIC must exist. SAMHSA (2014a) has created a framework for a trauma-informed approach that rests on four key assumptions (the Four Rs) and six key principles. The idea is that if people at every level of the organization understand these concepts, they have a solid foundation for a TIC school. The Four Rs of TIC (SAMHSA 2014a) are

1.  Realize the widespread impact of trauma.

2.  Recognize the signs of trauma and traumatic response.

3.  Respond by using the knowledge and resources available to provide TIC.

4.  Resist re-traumatization of children and staff by consistently evaluating policies and practices to make sure they promote healing and do not inadvertently create more stress. (9)

In addition to having a framework, a trauma-informed approach follows six primary agreed-upon principles of TIC developed by a team of national experts, including trauma survivors (SAMHSA 2014a):

1.  Safety

2.  Trustworthiness and transparency

3.  Peer support

4.  Collaboration and mutuality

5.  Empowerment, voice, and choice

6.  Cultural, historical, and gender issues (10)

School administrators must recognize that staff members at all levels play a role in TIC and that they must emphasize partnering and shared decision making. In “Roles and Responsibilities for Implementing Trauma-Informed Care,” you can see your role in implementing these principles of TIC along with your school community’s responsibility for ensuring that trauma-informed practices are a universal part of your school’s practice and culture.

What TIC Looks Like in Action

Following the principles outlined above, schools need to ensure that all staff feel empowered to support children’s needs and that everyone actively participates in helping children heal and succeed. If a custodian, for example, notices a child wearing clothes that are inappropriate for the weather, or a teaching assistant notices changes in a child’s behavior, they should know that as part of a TIC team, it is their job to discuss these observations with a supervisor. In addition, administrators need to recognize that adding expectations of TIC for educators without providing assistance with other duties is unsustainable. As a school’s TIC program is developed, administrators must ensure that opportunities for building and maintaining a TIC practice are ingrained in the school culture.

It is essential for everyone in the school community to focus on strengths-based initiatives that enhance children’s abilities. This happens when everyone is aware of the language they use when discussing children in the program, making sure that conversations focus on identifying and affirming strengths rather than dwelling on problems (Wolpow et al. 2016). Consider this example: A lead teacher and teaching assistant are discussing an interaction in a block area where a child is working. When the child’s work is disturbed, she lashes out verbally at other children. Rather than saying “Kara is such a problem! She doesn’t want anyone else to play in that area. She needs to learn to use her words and be nicer!,” they might instead say “Kara was really focused on her block building this morning. It was difficult for her when her concentration was broken by the other children. What can we do to let Kara keep working while also letting other children use the blocks? What are some ways we can help her express what she needs calmly?”

Roles and Responsibilities for Implementing Trauma-Informed Care

TIC Principle	The Educator’s Role	The School Community’s Policy (SAMHSA 2014a)
Safety	■  Make sure the indoor and outdoor environments are physically safe and hazard-free. ■  Ensure adequate space and adult supervision for play. ■  Create welcoming spaces for families to drop off and pick up children and meet with you. ■  Make sure that only authorized individuals can visit the program and pick up children. ■  Interact with children and families in ways that make them feel safe and valued. ■  Create a predictable daily schedule and let children know if there will be changes. ■  Practice fire, evacuation, and sheltering in place procedures.	Staff, children, and families feel physically and psychologically safe. The physical environment and interpersonal interactions offer safety.
Trustworthiness and transparency	■  Make a conscious effort to form a relationship with each child as a precursor to teaching and learning. ■  Make an intentional effort to form a reciprocal relationship with each family. ■  Regard children’s challenging behaviors as trauma related and not attempts to misbehave. ■  Commit to ending punitive actions such as suspension and expulsion. ■  Be clear in tasks, directions, and goals. ■  Respect children’s boundaries and sensitivities. ■  Ensure children’s and families’ confidentiality and privacy practices. ■  Refrain from making promises you can’t keep to either children or families.	The goal of school operations and decisions is to gain the trust of children, families, and staff.
Peer support	■  Bring together families to help each other and offer support. ■  To help children identify and resolve their own problems, use anonymous stories you’ve been given permission to share or anonymous stories of other people who have experienced trauma. ■  Use bibliotherapy to help children process their feelings.	Peers refers to children and family members who have experienced trauma. Peers are integral to the school’s delivery of services to build trust and establish safety and empowerment. Families and children learn from others who have experienced similar situations.
Collaboration and mutuality	■  Strong relationships are key to working with colleagues as well as children and families. ■  Meet with colleagues regularly to brainstorm strategies and approaches. ■  Look to supervisors for guidance and leadership. Invite them and specialists into the class to observe and advise. ■  Work with a specialist, such as the school librarian, if there is one, to select books on trauma and emotions to read with children. ■  Include support staff in programming. ■  Encourage a collaborative environment so that educators who spend more time in one-on-one relationships have support in accomplishing other tasks.	The school recognizes that everyone plays a role in TIC and that healing can happen only through relationships. This helps level power differences and encourage joint decision making.
Empowerment, voice, and choice	■  Use strengths-based teaching that does not focus on perceived deficits. ■  Individualize all programming, valuing the uniqueness of each child and family. ■  Build choice into programming, recognizing that all choices are acceptable. ■  Use a philosophy of “doing with” rather than “doing for” with children and families. ■  Stress realistic optimism with children and families. ■  Offer appropriate praise regularly.	Recognize, build on, and validate children’s, families’, and staff members’ strengths. Maintain an underlying belief in resilience and in the ability to heal from trauma.
Cultural, historical, and gender issues	■  Seek to understand and apply knowledge of cultural, historical, and gender issues in interactions with children and families. ■  Be culturally responsive in policies and classroom choices. ■  Provide responsive services that children and families can access easily.	The school actively moves past cultural stereotypes and biases based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, religion, gender identity, geography, and so on. The entire school community is aware of historical trauma and the role it plays.

In addition, staff need access to regular training to help them put TIC into practice and to know which resources are available to them. Having a coordinated approach allows you to learn from each other and to be more effective in your teaching and relationship building. These resources will vary from program to program but could include reviewing your daily interactions with children and finding ways to seamlessly integrate positive interactions and shift your approach from reactive to proactive. It could also include meeting with supervisors regularly to discuss children you are concerned about or problems you are having with your teaching and asking them to observe and give you feedback.

Smaller programs may look outside their school for support from others who are in a similar situation. Outside support might include local support groups for faith-based schools, schools with a specialty curriculum, or family child care programs. Organizations like NAEYC or the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) can help you locate a group in your area.

Fall-Hamilton Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee, uses a tap in/tap out program that allows a teacher to request coverage for their class so they can step out for a short break and regain their composure when needed (Berger 2018). While this may not be practical in all situations, it does illustrate that there are small ways that entire school communities can work together to create a TIC school.

Studies show that for children to thrive, they need a strong, caring relationship with two to three trusted adults in their school or program (Williams with Scherrer 2017). Focusing on growing these relationships is the first step to supporting and strengthening children and allowing them to learn. One suggestion from Trauma Toolkit (Williams with Scherrer 2017) is to pass around a list of students’ names at a staff meeting or during professional development and ask each staff person to put their initials next to the names of children they feel they have a strong, positive relationship with. To ensure that no child slips through the cracks, staff can put extra effort into connecting with children who have fewer than two or three sets of initials next to their names.

Treat relationships with families with the same care, and reinforce that they are welcomed in small and large ways. Offer information in the languages used by families in your school so they have multiple ways to communicate with staff and be involved in the classroom. Along with other staff, make a deliberate effort to get to know the families.

Strengths and experiences should be recognized and built on, both among staff and with the children and families. Families need to know that their voices matter and their valuable input will be used to create a better environment for their child. Rather than assume they know what is best for a child or the family, everyone in the school must listen and collaborate openly. Actively working to move past stereotypes and biases should be an ongoing process in TIC. This includes respecting cultural connections and historical trauma and ensuring all policies are responsive to the needs of each person.

Trauma-informed educators should not be discouraged when they propose changes they know will benefit students but are met with resistance. In these instances, remember that resistance is often rooted in fear of the unknown. Other educators and staff who are hesitant need to be heard and to have their concerns addressed so they can adjust to the changes.

Circle Preschool Program

The Circle Preschool program in Richmond, Virginia, was launched by Greater Richmond Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) in 2015 to offer family-focused, therapeutic early childhood education in Richmond (Price 2018). It provides trauma-informed services to preschoolers who have experienced severe trauma, many of whom have either never been to preschool or were expelled from other programs. It is an example of what the best practices of TIC can look like, and its model can be adapted to other programs.

The program focuses on three Rs: regulate, relate, and reason. Dr. Kathy Ryan explains that the intention is to “help these little ones learn there are safe people in the world,” learn how to process and express their intense feelings, and allow them to successfully build and maintain relationships.

Administrators have ensured that Circle Preschool is effective by guaranteeing

■  High ratios of trained staff to children

■  Classrooms designed to meet children’s needs

■  Child-informed curricula that incorporate children’s interests, developing critical thinking skills, and collaboration and relationship building

■  Additional therapeutic aides, an occupational therapist, and other specialists who work with the school

■  Close relationships with families, including regular meetings with parents or guardians

Working with Your Administrator

Creating this school-wide focus on TIC means collaborating with others in your school to make necessary changes. Sporleder and Forbes (2016) assert that at least 75 to 80 percent support from the staff and 100 percent support from administration are needed to make lasting, widespread changes and create a TIC school. Administrative support is necessary so that you can make necessary changes to your schedule, learning environment, teaching practice, and so on. Staff support will ensure that there is continuity for children throughout their day.

The administrative support also sets the tone and philosophy for the school so that everyone, including families, knows what the school stands for. In practice, this means making sure that your administration supports staff and students’ strengths, identifies and implements professional development opportunities, and provides both in-school and outside resources like mental health professionals and social workers for you and other staff.

In addition, administrators can re-evaluate guidance policies to make them more trauma informed. Leadership can also identify the many services available through local, state, and federal government or community-based social organizations that benefit children, including nutrition programs, support for families experiencing homelessness, and sliding-scale mental health resources. The school can be a valuable hub to coordinate these many resources and help families access them.

As you work with your school leadership to modify your program to become a more trauma-informed school, use the following ideas, based on the Flexible Framework developed by the Massachusetts Advocates for Children (Cole et al. 2005):

❯  Train staff to recognize trauma and to provide strategies to help children cope, learn, and thrive.

❯  Review program-wide infrastructure and culture and identify ways to integrate trauma-informed practices into what you are already doing.

❯  Use relationships your school has developed with local mental health providers, homeless and women’s shelters, the department of youth and family services, and other organizations that can support children and families.

❯  Review your teaching methods for helping children who have experienced trauma.

❯  Identify other nonacademic ways for supporting children.

❯  Ensure children have a strong relationship with two or three adults in the program.

❯  Review school policies (especially guidance) from a trauma-informed lens and adjust them as needed.

❯  Develop a plan to engage parents, foster parents, resource parents, and guardians as outlined in Chapter 8 and build strong relationships with families.

To ensure that your program is implementing TIC in its intended form and spirit, you may wish to make use of or adapt a checklist such as the “Trauma-Sensitive School Checklist” created by Lesley University and Massachusetts Advocates for Children (see www.tolerance.org).

Ideally, the entire school staff will use the same checklist to ensure high quality across the board. Your administrator and TIC peer groups can brainstorm how best to rectify gaps in the TIC framework. You may find that some items are not relevant to your program.

An Administrator’s Viewpoint on Creating a TIC Program

For Lauren Dotson (2017), an administrator in a pre-K to 8 school, creating a TIC program involved the following:

■  Understanding the “frequent flyers,” as Dotson refers to students who were often sent to her for behavior problems, and what was happening in their lives—including traumas—that influenced their behavior.

■  Looking beyond board guidance policies for how to support students. This included collaborating with community agencies to provide services, working across departments to make individual student care plans, and creating a committee of teacher mentors who could help those still learning TIC practices.

■  Encouraging teachers to ask administrators for support rather than just to control behavior. Allowing students to come to them to have a break, helping teachers better distinguish behaviors that needed to be referred for class disruption from those that could be resolved in class.

■  Getting to know children individually and creating a safe haven for them.

Advocacy

As an early childhood educator, you are uniquely positioned to not only help individual children and families as they experience and recover from traumatic events but also to advocate for better resources and interventions for the wider community. Help others see that you are advocating for children, not victims, and focus on building strengths and achieving successes.

To significantly effect change, communities need resources to eradicate causes of trauma and provide wide-ranging interventions when needed. This won’t happen without awareness, changes in legislation and community culture, and resources like parenting education, mental health services, reliable access to medical care, job opportunities, and continuing education and training available to all.

These big challenges can make advocacy seem overwhelming, especially if you think about large movements (federal legislative change, large-scale marches). However, many types of advocacy and awareness can effectively make an impact. You can take the following steps now:

❯  Educate yourself: Become more aware of trauma and TIC. Take steps to ensure you have a trauma-sensitive program and use techniques that support children and families. Continue to read books and magazine articles, attend workshops, and join discussions online or participate in organizations in your area.

❯  Educate others: Share what you learn with co-workers and families. Provide information, resources they can use, and actions they can take. Lead a professional development workshop or parent meeting and contribute to newsletters or communications from your program. If you enjoy writing or participate in social media, share information through newsletters, emails, your program or school website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The most powerful way to educate others is by sharing your personal story. Talking about how you’ve seen children and families thrive through resilience and TIC or about your own life experience is incredibly effective for helping people understand the information and, more important, how it applies to real life.

Pair that with information from local, state, and federal organizations that give people the supporting facts. Groups like Voices for Virginia’s Children have created short fact sheets that help make the information easier to understand, as shown in Figure 7. In this instance, voters can use the fact sheet to determine which potential candidates running for local and state office support TIC. This fact sheet explores issues such as historical trauma and equity. Your state may have similar materials targeted at voters. If it doesn’t, consider volunteering to develop one.

❯  Support others: Many child advocacy groups work to support children and families on local, regional, and national levels. Look for a group in your area that is doing work that inspires you and see how you can help. One place to start is with your local or state NAEYC affiliate advocacy branch. Find the branch closest to you at www.naeyc.org/get-involved/membership/affiliates/network.

❯  Get engaged: To make legislative changes, look for training in public policy, such as that offered by the NAEYC Public Policy Forum. Volunteer on boards or committees for child advocacy. An important way to get engaged is to call your state and national members of Congress to ask them to focus on issues related to childhood trauma. Find your elected officials at www.usa.gov/elected-officials or through local advocacy groups. Support election campaigns for candidates who share your ideals, and consider running for an elected position yourself!

A Path Forward

Steps you take to increase awareness of trauma’s effects on children and to help more children get the support they need will help to ensure that all children with a trauma history heal and succeed in both school and life.

Figure 7. Fact sheet on trauma for Virginia voters. Reprinted, by permission, from Voices for Virginia’s Children, “2019 Election Guide,” 9–10. https://vakids.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2019-VVC-Election_Toolkits_ALL_WEB.pdf.