Fostering Informed and Responsive Systems for Trauma in Early Care and Education (FIRST:ECE): A Preliminary Evaluation

Abstract

Children with histories of trauma exposure experience a wide-range of developmental, social, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. The effects of traumatic life experiences can impact children’s ability to learn and function within the school environment. Trauma-informed (TI) schools seek to create environments in which children with experiences of trauma can build resilience and be successful and must begin as early as possible in the child’s educational experience. The current paper summarizes preliminary evaluation results from a two-year initiative focused on implementing TI organizational change in two school district pre-kindergarten (pre-k) systems in a Southern state. Site 1 (urban) had 7 pre-k locations with 31 classrooms, while site 2 (micropolitan) had 5 locations with 12 classrooms (43 classrooms total). In surveys across two years, participating teachers (N = 91) reported gains in trauma-related knowledge and implementation of TI teaching strategies. Surveys of a subset of staff who were involved in district-level teams focused on implementation of broader TI organizational changes (e.g. adapting policies and procedures) revealed that most staff felt they developed an effective and sustainable process for facilitating organizational change. Theoretical implications and future directions are discussed.