SCENARIO 1:  REALIZE

Hannah is a new toddler teacher, and she is very eager to learn more about the children and families she serves in a large childcare center.  When you meet with Hannah for coaching sessions, she lets you know that many of the families they serve are living in “poor” communities with lots of problems.  She also tells you that many of these families have experienced traumatic situations like violence in their homes and communities.  Hannah sees children with lots of challenging behaviors in her classroom.  She is working on teaching them friendship skills and problem solving.  Hannah uses some of the techniques she learned by watching Circle Time Magazine, Positive Behavior Support episode.

SCENARIO 2:  RECOGNIZE

Josh is an experienced preschool teacher who has worked with families in Head Start and other community-based programs.  He is aware of many children in his classroom displaying the signs and symptoms of trauma, such as being withdrawn socially, aggressiveness and having problems with self-regulation.  Josh would like to learn more about how to support children and families experiencing trauma.  Josh incorporates emotional literacy activities into circle time and small groups.  He teaches children emotion words and how to identify emotions through stories with puppets.

SCENARIO 3:  RESPOND

Katie is a seasoned family childcare provider who has worked with young children and their families for over 15 years.  She teaches self-regulation and self-calming to all children in her program.  In your conversations with Katie, she lets you know that not all children experience trauma, however, all children can benefit from trauma informed care strategies.  Katie has an inviting calm down corner in her center that all children can access when necessary.  She incorporates breathing exercises into her morning circle time and throughout the day.

SCENARIO 4:  RESIST

Herbie is the lead preschool teacher in a large ECEAP program that also serves Head Start families.  He understands that most of the children and families he works with have experienced trauma, in the past and present.  Herbie incorporates trauma- informed care practices into his curriculum and takes great care to avoid re-traumatizing children and families.  He resists re-traumatization by providing information to parents about their children in person and often.  There are no “surprises” about any concerns that Herbie may have about individual children.