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How Head Start Addresses the Impact of Trauma on Children
In a new video, Head Start Director Dr. Deborah Bergeron and social-science analyst Dr. Sangeeta Parikshak discuss how they address the impact of trauma on children, as well as how other programs can improve their services to support children experiencing trauma.
It is important that Head Start is a nurturing environment for children who experience trauma. This program teaches coping mechanisms for children and adults. As the campaign #HeadStartHeals kicks off, Dr. Parikshak wants everyone to understand what trauma truly is.
“What I think is heartening about the research, and all the research around … trauma-informed approaches, is that it’s all about the experience, what the child experiences,” Dr. Parikshak says.
She continues, “Trauma-informed approach is about changing the way we look at the child, not necessarily having to change your environment around them, but realizing that the environment is already built to be trauma-informed.”
When talking about trauma-informed approaches, we must change the way we think about a child with challenging behaviors by asking, “What happened to you?” Learning not to label children, but to serve children with specific needs, is crucial.
At ASCI, we care about the well-being of all children in care. Thank you, Dr. Bergeron and Dr. Parikshak, for this informational vlog!