The goal of this curriculum is to build New Hampshire’s capacity to provide trauma-informed early childhood services, including childcare, home visiting, early education, and health and mental health services. In doing so, we hope that you engage in trauma-informed care in your own setting and spread the message of trauma-informed care to cross-system partners. This curriculum is divided into four units which include an introduction to Trauma-Informed Early Childhood Services, and then cover the impact of trauma on young children in terms of their neurobiology and development, the screening and interventions used with traumatized children, and reflective practices used to work with caregivers and traumatized young children. Each of these units will help to build your capacity to provide trauma-informed early childhood care. As you complete each unit of the tutorial, you will be asked to submit an online assessment. At the end of Unit 4, you will be able to download a certificate of completion.
Unit 1: Introduction to Trauma-Informed Early Childhood Services
By the end of the unit, learners will be able to:
- Define a “traumatic event” for young children
- Explain 4 types of trauma
- Know the prevalence of trauma in young children
- Define trauma-informed care within the context of early childhood services
- Understand and value your role in helping young children impacted by trauma
- Explore your fears and your concerns about addressing trauma
Unit 2: The Impact of Trauma on Young Children: Neurobiology and Development
By the end of the unit, learners will be able to:
- Understand the basic structure and development of the brain as it relates to trauma in young children
- Recognize the behavioral signs of an overused fear or stress response system in young children
- Understand how sensitization and desensitization of the human stress response system may manifest in the behavior of a young child
- Explain the impact of deprivation and neglect on young children and how they may be represented in behavior
- Know the primary criteria for diagnoses frequently given to traumatized children
- Know the functional impairments often observed in traumatized children
- Understand the long-term impact of exposure to trauma on behavior and health outcomes
- Understand the role of implicit and explicit memory in trauma and relationships
- Understand the concept of neuroplasticity and resilience as it pertains to recovery from trauma
Unit 3: Screening and Intervention with Traumatized Young Children
By the end of the unit, learners will be able to:
- Understand the purpose of screening young children for traumatic exposure and symptoms
- Understand the limitations of screening measures
- Identify opportunities for screening
- Identify 2 screening measures for trauma in young children
- Know how to introduce screening measures to families
- Identify when a referral for mental health treatment is merited
- Describe 3 key intervention strategies for traumatized young children
- Understand the parallel arousal cycle and know strategies to manage arousal
- Appreciate and deploy strength-based approaches to avoid an over-focus on problems
- Explain trauma concepts to caregivers
Unit 4: Working with Caregivers and Traumatized Young Children Using Reflective Practice
By the end of the unit, learners will be able to:
- Understand the conditions necessary to engage in a reflective relationship
- Describe the reasons why reflective practice is important when working with traumatized young children and their caregivers
- Intervene in conversation in a way that demonstrates reflective practice skills
- Explain the importance of reflection to a caregiver, colleague, or supervisor
Case Management/Care Coordination EBP Implementation Home Visiting Parenting Education Socio-emotional Development for Children
This component of the Child Development section of the CDC website provides information for parents on developmental milestones and positive parenting tips by age group, covering children 0-17 years of age. Age-specific injury prevention and safety advice as well as guidelines for promoting healthy bodies are also given. Parents or service providers for parents can download Positive Parenting Tip Sheets for use as take-home handouts.
Parenting Education Partner Involvement Socio-emotional Development for Children
Common Agenda Father/Partner Involvement Participant Recruitment and Retention Socio-emotional Development for Children
Early Head Start provides early, continuous, intensive, and comprehensive child development and family support services to low-income infants and toddlers and their families, and pregnant women and their families.
Health Literacy Insurance Coverage Parenting Education Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning Socio-emotional Development for Children
Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. For three decades, Healthy People has established benchmarks for various health domains (such as MCH) and monitored progress to encourage collaboration across communities and sectors, empower individuals to make informed health decisions, and measure the impact of prevention activities.
Alcohol/Drug Services Backbone Organization Breastfeeding Budgeting Case Management/Care Coordination Chronic Disease Common Agenda Communication Community and Organizational Partnerships Community Engagement Community Needs Assessment Continuous Communication Contracting Cultural Competence Data Utilization Depression EBP Implementation Father/Partner Involvement Group Processes/Facilitation Health Equity Health Literacy Healthy Weight Home Visiting Human Resources Immunization Insurance Coverage Intimate Partner Violence Leadership Life Course Model Mutually Reinforcing Activities Nutrition Oral Health Other Parenting Education Participant Recruitment and Retention Partner Involvement Patient-centered Medical Home Policy Prenatal Care and Education Prevention Program evaluation Project Management Project Risk Project Schedule Project Scope Quality Improvement Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning Risk Assessment Root Cause Analysis Safe Sleep Shared Measurement Social Determinants of Health Socio-emotional Development for Children STDs including HIV Strategic Planning Tobacco Cessation
A national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals, and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development. The website includes resources on child development and behavior, early care and education, child maltreatment, and public policy.
Breastfeeding Early Elective Delivery Home Visiting Life Course Model Parenting Education Prenatal Care and Education Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning Social Determinants of Health Socio-emotional Development for Children
These three brief (2-3 minute) videos explore resilience, a positive adaptive response to serious adversity in a young child’s life, and how it is built. A better understanding of how resilience develops can help develop policies and programs to help more children reach their full potential.
Parenting Education Socio-emotional Development for Children
The Magic of Everyday Moments video series is designed to help parents and professionals understand how they can best help very young children thrive. The first in the series explores brain development, early literacy skills, the power of play, and temperament. The second examines development in each of the first three years of life.
Parenting Education Socio-emotional Development for Children
Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status: Developmental Milestones (PEDS:DM) is a validated screening and surveillance tool that elicits parents’ report on a child’s skills and behavior. Six to eight questions per visit are used to assess fine motor, gross motor, expressive language, receptive language, self-help, and socio-emotional skills. The survey is designed for children at any age from 0 to 8 and takes about 5 minutes to complete and one minute to score.
Parenting Education Risk Assessment Socio-emotional Development for Children
Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) is a ten-question validated surveillance and screening tool designed to elicit parents’ concerns about their child’s development, behavior, and mental health. It takes about 5 minutes for parents to complete and 1-2 minutes to score. The screen can be used to indicate whether reassurance, advice, watchful waiting, further screening, or referral are called for in a child between ages 0 and 8.
Parenting Education Risk Assessment Socio-emotional Development for Children