Understanding Trauma and Healing in Adults
Explore this resource to learn about trauma, how traumatic events impact families and staff, and how to promote healing, resilience, and family well-being.
Mental Health
Head Start programs support the mental health of children, families, and staff every day. Early childhood mental health is the same as social and emotional well-being. It is a child’s developing capacity to express and regulate emotions, form trusting relationships, explore, and learn—all in the cultural context of family and community. The mental health of children and the adults that care for them is essential for school readiness.
Strengthening Staff Trauma-informed Practices
Learn how to strengthen trauma-informed practices for staff. Review strategies staff can use to practice trauma-informed care. Find examples of how to support staff in a trauma-informed program.
Coping and Healing
Review strategies for coping with and healing from trauma. Learn how families’ strengths help the healing process.
5 Action Steps to Address Maternal Depression in Head Start Programs
While roughly 15% of new mothers suffer from maternal depression, the rates are much higher in families with lower incomes. In fact, 52% of mothers in an Early Head Start research study reported high levels of depressive symptoms.
Depression in Mothers: More Than the Blues – A Toolkit for Family Service Providers
The toolkit provides information about depression and offers ideas that providers can use daily when helping mothers and their families.
Assessing Family Crisis
A crisis is a period of heightened family tension and imbalance that requires quick staff identification. Head Start staff who work with families will find this information useful in understanding what brings about crises for families. Just as a crisis is an opportunity for a family, it is also an opportunity for staff to make a real difference in the life of a Head Start family