Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the impact of trauma informed care (TIC) trainings on educators within the early childhood education (ECE) classroom, particularly how one school district in Southern California has implemented the teaching of trauma-informed education.Methodology. This study used a qualitative case study design to explore the impact of Trauma-Informed Care in early childhood classrooms in response to 2 central research questions: 1. What is the perspective of teachers regarding the effectiveness of trauma informed teaching? and 2. What are early childhood educator’s perspectives of mandating trauma-informed care training for early childhood educators? This case study explored the perspectives of educators at one urban, public school district in Southern California. Data was collected through a series of 10 semi-structured interviews. Participants of this study were selected through expert sampling. Data was analyzed using Creswell’s Six Step Method for Data Analysis.
Findings. Three overarching themes emerged from participant responses These themes were (a) teacher’s current perspectives of trauma-informed care trainings are that they are not convenient and not enough, (b) teacher’s feel supported, but not fully prepared and (c) there is a need for ongoing education.
Conclusions. This study revealed that although educators recognize the importance of TIC; and while they feel supported, they do not feel completely prepared to work with students who have experienced trauma and would benefit from strategic and ongoing implementation of TIC. The findings also indicate the significance of trauma-informed teaching in the early childhood classroom, as educators seek to provide meaningful learning experiences for all students regardless of their background. Lastly, the findings emphasize the need for ongoing education that empowers early childhood educators to better serve the needs of students who navigate various forms of trauma.
Recommendations. Future research should seek to seek to add to the existing literature by exploring other school districts that provide early childhood education for children aged 0-5 in a variety of socioeconomic areas. Additionally, future research should explore engagement of educators regarding supplemental professional growth outside of the workday to examine the motivation and attitudes of teachers regarding maintaining their professional development in light of work life balance. This research has direct implications for understanding educators’ perspectives of TIC in ECE. This study contributes to the ongoing research of how trauma-informed educators can cultivate meaningful learning experiences for children overcoming adversity and early trauma.