About this Course

The idea of young children suffering traumatic experiences is a difficult topic to discuss. However, it is vitally important that early care and education professionals are aware of what causes trauma, how to recognize it in young children, and how frequently it occurs. Trauma refers to any experience that causes a child to lose their sense of physical or emotional safety or poses a threat to the safety of the child’s parents or caregivers.It’s critical that teachers and caregivers realize that trauma is not an event itself, but a result of the way in which a child’s nervous system responds tothe event. Caregivers of young children, who are able to recognize trauma symptoms and respond in a caring manner, often become the source of safety and consistency for young children exposed to trauma.

Learning Outcomes

• Define trauma and understand the different types of trauma.
• Explain how trauma affects a developing brain.
• Recognize the effects of trauma in infants and toddlersand implement strategies to buffer the negative effects of trauma in young children.
• Support the development of resiliency in infants and toddlersby developing emotional attunement and attachment relationships with children.
• Create a trauma-sensitive learningenvironment and implement a trauma-informed approach to caregiving.
• Understand the roleof caregiversin reporting abuse and neglect.
• Develop strategies for self-care.

These strategies are job-embedded and will need to be implementedwiththeinfants andtoddlersin your program.