Building trauma responsive and family strengthening environments for young children and their families

Data Report: A Hidden Crisis was released by the San Francisco based Center for Youth Wellness in 2014. This report compiled four years of data gathered by the annual California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2013 that showed the impact of adverse childhood experiences on California's population. This report highlighted the fact that Humboldt County, CA has one of the highest rates of individuals who have experienced trauma within their life. An estimated 75% of Humboldt County reports to have experienced at least one traumatic event in their childhood that had an impact on their physical, mental, and emotional well being. Humboldt County could benefit from an early intervention program that would create a trauma responsive environment for children in order to buffer or even counteract the affects of trauma they may be experiencing in their lives. A pilot project has been launched locally starting this year (2016) that targets young children in early childhood settings. The project will introduce the concept of trauma responsiveness in early childhood settings through the use of training, mentoring, coaching, and pre-identified materials. The objective of this master's project is to identify the needs of local early childhood settings, through a needs assessment, in order to create a trauma responsive environment. These needs may include supplies, materials, or training. A needs assessment will be created and utilized to identify the needed resources. This needs assessment will help to eliminate any barriers that may prevent these sites from creating a successful environment. The sites have been predetermined, based on the sites' staff knowledge of Dr. Bruce Perry's work involving the concept of trauma responsiveness. The implementation of the project will begin by gathering quantitative data through the use of an online needs assessment distributed to each early childhood site. The data will be collected and analyzed in order to relieve any barriers that may inhibit the sites from creating and implementing a successful trauma responsive environment.