Dr. Christina Pate, Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety, discusses Safe Spaces: Foundations of Trauma-Informed Practice for Educational and Care Settings, developed in partnership with and launched by the Office of the California Surgeon General.
Dr Christina Pate:
Stress and trauma can impact development and well-being in a number of ways, socially, emotionally, psychologically, even physically, cognitively, and educationally. So the negative effects of stress and trauma on children can really extend into adulthood, so they may be at higher risk for mental health concerns and substance abuse issues, and engaging in risky behaviors. Early intervention and support systems are crucial in mitigating the negative impact of trauma and stress on children’s well-being, and really promoting their healthy development.
And the professional learning modules that we’ve developed in coordination with the Office of the California Surgeon General are really just laying that foundation for early learning and care providers and for educators to prevent challenges as well as intervene early as a primary support system, considering that young people spend so much time in these settings. The modules are simply a foundation upon which trauma informed and healing centered approaches are implemented. So no one can claim to be trauma informed as a result of one foundational module, but they’re really the seeds that are to be planted across these settings for more good work to happen in these areas.
[Narrator]:
To learn more about Safe Spaces, visit osg.ca.gov/safespaces.