Toolkit for Healing-Centered Practice

What is Trauma?

Stress is a normal part of life – but what happens when it becomes toxic or chronic? Learn how stress and trauma effect children’s bodies and development.

Early Risers

Research shows that children not only recognize race from a very young age, but also develop racial biases by ages three to five. This podcast from Little Moments Count and Minnesota Public Radio includes frank facts, engaging stories and real how-tos for anyone who cares about raising children with an understanding of cultural differences, race and implicit bias.

The Drama of Working with Young Children

Providing care for young children can stir up intense reactions in caregiving staff. This hour-long training discusses some of the reasons this work is so hard and ways to handle challenges that occur within ourselves and our staff.

Self Care + Self Compassion as A Provider in Care and A Provider Who Cares

As professionals, just as we help children and parents confront previously unexamined patterns of stressful experiences, we need to consider how this work impacts our triggers and responses. This hour-long webinar explores the power of the pause and the importance of mindfulness while helping us examine how our own stress or triggers might interfere with our self-care and self-compassion.

Disposition for Kindness: A Valuable Part of Your Early Childhood Toolbox

All children depend on the kindness of adults to assure them that the world is safe and reliable. Children who have experienced persistent and even toxic stress or traumatic events need this reassurance even more. This hour-long training will explore a “disposition for kindness” — our mindset that allows us to stay connected to children as we help them learn and thrive.

Calming Strategies

We know that working with young children experiencing stress and trauma can trigger strong feelings in ourselves. We might be reminded of our own experiences of stress and trauma, we might experience strong urges to protect the young children in our care, or we might just feel burnt out by the challenges of the work. If your work or the contents of this toolkit begin to evoke difficult feelings for you, this document provides practical tools and resources for support.

What is Resilience?

This fact sheet includes information about resilience, including common myths, protective factors, and tips for how adults can utilize their relationships with children/families to build resilience.

Resources for Professionals

Because working with young children experiencing stress and trauma can trigger our own experiences of stress and trauma, we have compiled a list of places both local and national where you can find support.

Utilizing the Toolkit for Healing Centered Practice

In this episode of Inclusion Matters, Priscilla Weigel talks with Infant & Early Childhood Director Lauren Moberg about work the MN Association for Children’s Mental Health has been doing as a part of the MN Preschool Development Grant to support professionals in early care and education in their working with young children and families who have experienced stress and trauma.

3 Realms of ACEs

PACEs Connection created their 3 Realms of ACEs Infographic to represent the Community, Household, and Environmental arenas where adverse childhood and community experiences happen. ACEs in these realms intertwine throughout people’s lives, and affect the viability of families, communities, organizations, and systems.

Trauma Responsive Care in Early Childhood Settings (Part 1)

What does it mean to be trauma-aware? Join us as we talk with guests Arielle Handevidt from Northside Achievement Zone and Lily Cooks from Seward Child Development Center for an overview of this concept in early care settings. Length: 21 minutes, 45 seconds

Trauma Responsive Care in Early Childhood Settings (Part 2)

What does it mean to be trauma-aware? Join us as we continue our discussion about being trauma-aware with our guests Arielle Handevidt from Northside Achievement Zone and Lily Cooks from Seward Child Development Center. In this podcast we dig deeper into leadership’s role in being trauma responsive to staff, parents, and children in early childhood settings. Length: 23 minutes, 57 seconds

When Something Bad Happens

When something stressful or traumatic happens in a young child’s life, it can impact their development. The presence of a caring and responsive adult can help to buffer young children against these impacts. This story is written through the child’s eyes, around a variety of life events they might experience.

When Children Act Out

This fact sheet explores what acting out can look like, what acting out may tell us and ways we can respond in the moment.

When Children Seek Control through Opposition

This fact sheet explores what opposition can look like, what purpose oppositional responses serve and ways to respond in the moment.

Impact of Childhood Trauma

Children who experience traumatic life events are at risk for developing long-lasting impacts to their development. They are more likely to exhibit resilience when programs, institutions and service systems implement trauma-informed care. This infographic from Child Trends outlines some of these impacts and strategies.

When Children Shut Down

What can shutting down look like in young children, what can shutting down tell us and how can we respond in the moment? This fact sheet explores these questions.

Phrases to Support the Parent/Caregiver – Child Relationship

Language is an important tool for helping kids regulate. This list of phrases includes examples of how language can be used by parents/caregivers to help buffer children from the effects of stress/trauma.

Where Did You Go?

When a parent and child are separated for any reason (death, deportation, separation/divorce, foster care, incarceration, etc.), the experience can bring up a variety of confusing and complicating thoughts/feelings for young children. The presence of a caring and responsive adult, however, can help to buffer young children against these impacts. This story is written through the child’s eyes, about separation from a caregiver

Understanding Compassion Fatigue

This document was developed by Rebecca Bundy, MA, LPC, and explains the concept of compassion fatigue. It identifies its signs and symptoms, explores how to develop compassion fatigue resilience, and includes a self-assessment.

The Impact of Identity on Healing-Centered Practice

The Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health and Center for Inclusive Child Care were proud to partner as a part of the MN Preschool Development Grant to host a live conversation for professionals in the field of early care and education.

Sensory Strategies as Tools for Self-Regulation and Healing (Part 1)

As a part of the 80×3 Initiative through Greater Twin Cities United Way, Center for Inclusive Child Care created the following video with Pediatric Occupational Therapist Alyssa Mason. Part 1 focuses on the connections between sensory systems, self-regulation, co-regulation and the impact of trauma as well as what to pay attention to in group care environments and the importance of consent.

Sensory Strategies as Tools for Self-Regulation and Healing (Part 2)

As a part of the 80×3 Initiative through Greater Twin Cities United Way, Center for Inclusive Child Care created the following video with Pediatric Occupational Therapist Alyssa Mason. Part 2 demonstrates “hands on” and “hands off” strategies targeting each sensory system, along with strategies to request consent as well as what helps us know when strategies are working.

Trauma Responsive Care in Early Childhood Settings

This panel was hosted by the Center for Inclusive Child Care and Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health on the 29th of July, 2021 to discuss Trauma Responsive Care in Early Childhood Settings.

Trauma-Responsive Care in Early Childhood Settings Panel with Arielle Handevidt- Director of Early Childhood at Northside Achievement Zone, Tania Rivera- Program Manager at Circulo De Amigos Child Care Center, Lily Crooks- Director of Seward Child Care Center, and Nedra Robinson- Early Childhood Program Manager at Simpson Housing Services.

Diversity Informed Tenets for Work with Infants, Children & Families

The Diversity-Informed Tenets for Work with Infants, Children and Families (Tenets) are a set of ten strategies and tools for strengthening the commitment and capacity of professionals, organizations and systems that serve infants, children and families to embed diversity, inclusion and equity principles into their work. They provide critical guidance for implementing healing-centered practice across settings.

Environmental Considerations for Trauma-Informed Care in Early Care & Education Settings

This document includes a checklist to evaluate your current context for a variety of factors that help contribute to healing-centered practice and minimize stress and trauma.

Addressing Suspension and Expulsion in Early Childhood Settings

There is a strong body of research that demonstrates the lifelong, devastating effects of early childhood education (ECE) suspension and expulsion on infants, toddlers and preschoolers, as well as its inequitable impact on Black, Indigenous and other people/children of color. An ECE workforce trained in infant and early childhood mental health is essential to ending ECE suspensions and expulsions. This document includes a call to action for policymakers and Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health-informed action steps for supporting and training the ECE workforce.

Stress & Trauma

KCF IX: Trauma Informed Care
Content Area III: Positive ways to support children’ social and emotional development

This module will provide you with an overview of stress and trauma and their impact on young children, their families and/or caregivers.

Relationships & Attachment

KCF IX: Trauma Informed Care
CDA Content Area III: Positive ways to support children’ social and emotional development

This module will provide you with an overview of relationships and attachment and their impact on young children, their families and/or caregivers

Resilience

KCF IX: Trauma Informed Care
Content Area III: Positive ways to support children’ social and emotional development

This module will provide you with an overview of resilience and how protective factors can be cultivated to buffer young children and their families/caregivers from stress and trauma.

Professional Wellness

KCF IX: Trauma Informed Care
Content Area III: Positive ways to support children’ social and emotional development

This module will focus on the theme of professional wellness, recognizing that working with children and families is inherently arousing and that having experience trauma has an impact on one’s work and can contribute to compassion fatigue and burnout. The module will identify strategies that support professional wellness and address secondary trauma to support one’s ability to care for children and families.

Module 1 Public Facilitator Guide

This document will guide you through how to train a group on Module 1 of the Toolkit for Healing-Centered Practice.

Module 2 Public Facilitator Guide

This document will guide you through how to train a group on Module 2 of the Toolkit for Healing-Centered Practice.

Module 3 Public Facilitator Guide

This document will guide you through how to train a group on Module 3 of the Toolkit for Healing-Centered Practice.

Module 4 Public Facilitator Guide

This document will guide you through how to train a group on Module 4 of the Toolkit for Healing-Centered Practice.

What is Trauma? (Translated in Spanish)

When Children Act Out (Translated in Spanish)

When Children Seek Control Through Opposition (Translated in Spanish)

When Children Shut Down (Translated in Spanish)

When Something Bad Happens (Translated in Spanish)

Waa maxay dhacdada naxdinta leh?

Walwalku ama isku buuqidu waa qayb caadi ah oo nolosha ka mid ah. Laakiin maxaa dhaca markii uu isku badalo mid sun ah ama mid daba dheeraada. Baro sida walwalka ama dhacdada naxdinta lehi u saameyso jirka carruurta iyo hor markoodaba.

Markay carruurtu si xun u dhaqmaan?

Xaashidan xaqiiqaha ayaa waxay sahaminaysaa sida uu u egyahay dhaqanka xumi, muxuu dhaqanka xumi nooga sheegi karaa iyo siyaabaha aan uga jawaabi karno xiligaas.

Markay carruurtu mucaaradnimo (kaasoo horjeedsi) ku raadiyaan sidii ay wax u maamulilahaayaan ama u xakameyn lahaayeen

Xaashidan xaqiiqaha ayaa waxay sahaminaysaa maxay mucaaradnimadu ama kasoo horjeedsigu u ekaan kartaa, waa maxay ujeedada ay jawaabaha kasoo horjeedsigu qabtaan ama uga adeegan.

Markay carruurtui s xidhaan niyad ahaan oo ay is galaan

Muxuu is xidhitaanku u ekaan karaa markay ilmuhu yaryar yihiin, muxuu is xidhitaanku noo sheegi karaa iyo sideebaan uga jawaabi karnaa xiligaas? Xaashidan xaqiiqaha ayaa noo samaninaysa su’aalahan.

Markay Wax Xun Dhacaan

Markay wax walwal leh ama naxdin lehi ku dhacaan nolosha carruurta yaryar, waxay taasi saameyn kartaa koritaankooda ama hormarkooda. Inuu joogo qof wayn oo daryeela oo masuul ahi waxay ka caawin kartaa carruurta yaryar in laga ilaaliyo dhacdooyinkan saameyn kara. Sheekadani waxay u qoran tahay sida mid ka socota indhaha ilmaha, oo ku wareegsan dhacdooyin nololleed oo laga yaabo inay ilmuhu la kulmi karaan.

Compassion Fatigue Handout (Translated in Spanish)

This document was developed by Rebecca Bundy, MA, LPC, and explains the concept of compassion fatigue. It identifies its signs and symptoms, explores how to develop compassion fatigue resilience, and includes a self-assessment.

Healing-Centered Practice Toolkit- Somali

This training is a synthesis of information from our Toolkit for Healing-Centered Practice, delivered in Somali by Marian Hassan.

Healing-Centered Practice Toolkit- Hmong

This training is a synthesis of information from our Toolkit for Healing-Centered Practice, delivered in Hmong by Bao Vang & Chue Her from Hmong Early Childhood Coalition.