Guidance & Nurturing
Trauma Informed Care
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (website) – This website contains a large, searchable collection of resources around childhood trauma and trauma-informed care. Many resources are available in multiple languages.
Considerations for Trauma-Informed Child Care and Early Education Systems (pdf) – This resource provides an overview of research on early childhood trauma and its relevance to child care and early education (CCEE). It also offers evidence-informed strategies and best practices for CCEE leaders to consider when implementing trauma-informed approaches to support young children, parents/caregivers, and CCEE providers.
The Administration for Children & Families Resources Specific to Early Childhood Programs (webpage) – This webpage offers information and resources related to providing trauma-informed care in early care and education settings. Explore research briefs, videos, and webinars that offer information about best practices to ensure your program is trauma-informed.
Resilient Wisconsin: Trauma-Informed Practice (webpage) – The Wisconsin Department of Health Services offers foundational information as well as key resources from national organizations to promote understanding of trauma-informed practices, including The Four “R’s” and Six Guiding Principles.
The Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health (website) – Here you can find a trauma-informed care video training along with a discussion toolkit. There are also a variety of reports and fact sheets including Reducing Toxic Stress (pdf) and The Power of Positive Childhood Experiences (pdf). Fact sheets are also available in Spanish and Hmong.
Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board (website) – The Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board in Wisconsin promotes and supports community-based, family-centered approaches to strengthen families’ protective factors and prevent child abuse and neglect. Here you can find information about Family Resource Centers as well as family-strengthening efforts. You can also access their public awareness campaign materials as well as a variety of resources and reports such as the Adverse Childhood Experiences (pdf) report and the Positive Childhood Experiences Research to Practice Brief (pdf).
Trauma-Sensitive Schools Online Professional Development System (webpage) – Through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s free, online, on-demand system, learners will understand the prevalence and impact of toxic stress on youth and those who care for them. Additionally, participants will understand how to infuse the values of safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment into various aspects of their existing equitable multi-level system of support.
Trauma and Resilience (website) – Explore this collection of resources from the Head Start Early Learning and Knowledge Center to learn how trauma affects young children and to find strategies to reduce its effects in children and adults.
A Guide to Toxic Stress (website) – The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University created this step-by-step resource guide to help you learn the facts about toxic stress. Additional resources related to the impact of toxic stress and adversity on brain development can be found in their resource library.
Pyramid Model and Trauma-Informed Care Guide (pdf) – This guide from the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations provides resources that support early childhood professionals to integrate the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social and Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children and trauma-informed care. Also available from NCPMI is a Checklist of Early Childhood Practices that Support Social Emotional Development and Trauma-Informed Care (pdf).
Supporting Children Who Have Experienced Trauma (website) – This video series from the Center for Early Childhood Education at Eastern Connecticut State University explains how traumatic experiences can affect young children’s behaviors, how educators can respond to trauma-related behaviors, and how educators can create classroom environments that build children’s resilience.
How to Implement Trauma-informed Care to Build Resilience to Childhood Trauma (webpage) – This brief summarizes current research and promising practices for implementing trauma-informed care to support the well-being of children exposed to trauma and help them reach their full potential.
Recognizing and Addressing Trauma in Infants, Young Children, and their Families (webpage) – This is the seventh in a series of modules created by The Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation.
Georgetown University’s Center for Child and Human Development Trauma-Informed Care (webpage) – The National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health at Georgetown University’s Center for Child and Human Development, along with JBS International, created this web-based tool to support leaders and decision-makers along their journey to becoming trauma-informed.
Updated 7/31/2024