Session Description

Early childhood is a period for healthy development. Yet, economic hardship and limited household resources can undermine parenting practices, reduce stimulating interactions, and heighten the risk of trauma-related experiences, including emotional distress, behavioral problems, and poor academic outcomes. Research demonstrates that both family-level factors, such as poverty and parental depression, and staff-level factors, such as job-related stress and unsupportive work environments, can contribute to children’s vulnerabilities. However, protective factors related to family engagement initiatives, supportive staff environments, and high-quality early childhood education (ECE) programs that align with trauma-informed principles can buffer these risks and foster better behavioral and learning outcomes through the development of supportive relationships. Therefore, this study aims to examine staff well-being and environment, family hardship, and family engagement to better understand how Educare Lincoln, a high-quality ECE program serving families with diverse and low-income backgrounds, uses these nuances in helping children thrive. The parent survey included a total of 79 participants, and the staff survey included 60 participants. The findings are expected to provide insight into strengthening ECE practice and policy by illustrating how these variables collectively reflect trauma-informed principles of safety, trust, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural responsiveness.

Learning objectives