This can be very difficult to establish, which is why a holistic, comprehensive approach is called for. Schools should have trauma teams or multidisciplinary teams to gather information from the educators involved with the student, then evaluate and assess the information provided to determine what kind of supports a child needs.

This is a certainly a delicate but important balance. One reference point is to consider how we are shifting social norms around the topic of ACEs to abandon the question of “what’s wrong with you?” to instead adopt “what happened to you.” It seems counter-intuitive, yet children and adults can feel empowered to become their new, best selves when they are exonerated from past mistakes that are the direct result of trauma. While you are not in a position to be treating these students, you are in a position to show them that you see them fully and that their behavior does not define them in your eyes or in your heart. Resilience is a tool that will be useful to all of your students, whether or not they are touched by trauma. At the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, you can read more about helping students build resilience and the self-confidence to show the world that inner, best self that will result.  https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources//resilience_and_child_traumatic_stress.pdf    

Educators in a 21^st CCLC environment should view trauma as a special need, which means it will vary from student to student. Ensure access to psychological or other relevant services. Be cognizant of mandatory reporting procedures. The Y4Y materials addressing trauma-informed care lay out examples of learning disabilities that may result from toxic stress. Accommodations for those disabilities, delays or impairments can be addressed just as they would be in a child experiencing academic challenges for more organic reasons. Taking your students’ problems home with you and bearing an emotional burden for them is NOT your responsibility, difficult as that separation may be to make.

First, contact local colleges and universities to see if they have any online resources available. They may also be willing to provide professional development services or materials. Second, contact your local domestic violence agencies and/or child advocacy centers. They can sometimes support you in providing training for teachers, and may be connected with other local community agencies that can support trauma-informed care. Lastly, connecting with other local schools or districts about where they have found information to support professional development on the topic of helping children of trauma could be productive. 

Always bear in mind the sensitivity of this subject, and the importance of proceeding delicately in the interest of the safety of your students. That said, you can expand the broad strokes of your existing family engagement tools to help you better support children of trauma. A family survey at the start of your program could include a carefully worded question about known traumatic experiences. Family nights could be provided wherein learning strategies, homework support and emotional strategies could be discussed. This type of inclusive, Universal Design Approach would be beneficial to all families while singling out none. Finally, in circumstances where you are confident that families will be allies and not culprits, such as a child traumatized by excessive bullying at school, create a plan together to support this student using consistent language and strategies.

Communication is always key. Traditional means of communication, such as communication books that travel with the student, will be inappropriate if a child is known or suspected to be experiencing current trauma or recovering from past events. That said, sharing impressions and strategies with the student’s school-day teacher will be imperative. Send an email offering multiple possible times to reach you by phone so that you can establish a plan with him/her. Chances are, they share your concerns and are eager to work as a team.

Adult survivors of trauma have the potential to be the very best advocates for children who are suffering, but it is likely that a key to their own resilience is keeping traumatic experiences tucked quietly away. In your program’s staff development around trauma-informed care, proactively advise all staff that increasing their awareness for their students’ sake could bring such experiences to the surface. Be sure they understand the importance of maintaining their physical AND mental wellbeing, and that as an employer you will support all forms of good health. Strike a balance between de-stigmatizing childhood trauma by welcoming sharing while respecting the privacy of those who prefer not to.