Primary Early Childhood Educators’ Perspectives of Trauma-Informed Knowledge, Confidence, and Training

There is a growing body of research documenting the impact of traumatic stress on child development, which has resulted in a call to action for trauma-informed practices as a priority, yet implementation within schools and training for educators is lacking (American Academy of Physicians, https://www.aap.org/en-us/Documents/ttb_aces_consequences.pdf, 2014). Understanding teachers’ perceptions regarding current levels of knowledge, self-efficacy, and trauma-informed training can help guide future professional development experiences for both pre-service and practicing teachers. This study investigated the knowledge, self-efficacy, and training of trauma-informed practices as self-reported by primary educators, serving in grades kindergarten through third-grade, within two regions of Tennessee and Virginia. The Primary Early Childhood Educators Trauma-Informed Care Survey for Knowledge, Confidence, and Relationship Building (PECE-TICKCR) scale was adapted from the TIC-DS scale (Goodwin-Glick in Impact of trauma-informed care professional development of school personnel perceptions of knowledge, disposition, and behaviours towards traumatised students, Graduate College of Bowling Green State University, 2017), validated, and created for the purpose of this study. The sample consisted of 218 primary educators who completed an online survey regarding personal knowledge, self-efficacy, and training experiences of trauma-informed practices. Correlations revealed a statistical significance between the Knowledge of Trauma factor and the Confidence in Providing Trauma-Informed Strategies factor. There was also a statistical significance between the Knowledge of Trauma factor and the Confidence in Creating Supportive relationships factor and between the Confidence in Providing Trauma-Informed Strategies factor and the Confidence in Creating Supportive Relationships factor. The findings indicated that teachers need more knowledge regarding community resources for families and students but feel confident in providing supportive relationships. Teachers also are interested in more training events related to strategies to use when working with students exposed to trauma. Implications for teacher preparation programs and professional development training for practicing teachers is discussed

Supporting Early Educators in Higher Education: Celebrating Bright Spots of Progress, Acknowledging the Work That Still Needs to Be Done and Developing a Plan for ACTION

Power to the Profession is focused on equitably advancing an effective, diverse, and well-compensated early childhood education profession across states and settings. Our children live in an increasingly diverse world, and they both need and benefit from a workforce that reflects and embodies that world. As such, when our current systems cause harm to educators, they can also harm children and their families. The inverse is also true: when our systems help educators, we help children and their families. We know that higher education plays a critical role, with many opportunities to support the workforce. If we are going to see our vision through and reimagine what could be, we have to take stock of the progress we have made, identify missed opportunities and barriers, and develop an action plan. Our panel will share perspectives and experiences from different parts of the higher education system and discuss key issues including equity, compensation, pathways, leadership, and financing, and will share recommendations for an aligned system designed to support early childhood educators

Leadership and Global Perspectives for Early Childhood Teacher Educators

Designed for those who work in the field of early childhood teacher education, this session serves as the spring conference for NAECTE. Explore the theme of leadership and global perspectives for early childhood teacher educators through a keynote presentation, paper and poster presentations, and dialogue among participants

Engaging All Learners Through Quality Early Childhood Teacher Education

The keynote speaker will invite participants to reflect on the conference theme: Engaging ALL Learners through Quality Early Childhood Teacher Education. Poster and Round Table Presentations will engage participants in discussion of scholarly work focused around the NAECTE conference theme