Trauma-Informed Practices in Early Childhood Education

Author

Michelle KingFollow

Date of Award

6-27-2022

Document Type

Non Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education

Department

Education

Program

Early Childhood Education

Capstone Instructor

Dr Kelly Sadlovsky

Second Reader

Laura Ahonen

Keywords

trauma, trauma-informed care, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Early Childhood Education (ECE), social-emotional skills

Abstract

Young children who have experienced trauma risk falling behind peers academically, and socially, and may have lifelong mental and physical impairments (Bartlett, 2021). Half of the young children in the United States have been victims of early childhood trauma (Bartlett, et al., 2017). Findings analyzed for this paper show that trauma-informed care (TIC) can increase children’s chance of recovering and thriving, despite trauma (Bartlett, 2021). The following studies showed how early childhood teachers can best prepare themselves for students of trauma in their classrooms. Preparation included TIC that focused on strong social-emotional development (SED), helping build resilience, and preparing for kindergarten and beyond (Bartlett, 2021). Studies also noted the importance of building positive teacher-child relationships and the impact of culture and the current pandemic on SED. This paper summarized and analyzed fifteen research articles and has shown how early childhood teachers can use trauma-informed practices to help young children develop strong social-emotional skills.

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