The early years of a child's life are a crucial time for brain development and stress can play a critical role in compromising its development (Zadina, 2014; Zull, 2011). Fink (2019) explains physical and mental stress as being characterized by heightened excitability and arousal, perceived adverse situation, and lack of control. This normal,…

A high prevalence of maltreatment, abuse, neglect and the onset of subsequent trauma has been well-documented among both young people with disability and young people residing in foster and kinship care. However, no uniform policies or guidelines currently exist for the delivery of trauma-informed models of care to build the capacity of foster and…

Today's classrooms call for a delicate balance of policy and practice. Early childhood educators are tasked with developing the social, emotional, and academic wellbeing of the children they serve, while also following school, district, and government expectations. Many teachers struggle to effectively teach academic content, given their students'…

Mauri Tui Tuia is a professional development programme established by the first and second authors who are a Registered Arts and Dance Movement Therapist and a Registered Music Therapist respectively. Mauri Tui Tuia seeks to empower educators to develop a kete of tools to support children in building resilience and maintaining wellbeing, through…

The authors together with the Center for Professional Learning and the Ukrainian Institute for Educational Development created free, open educational courses to support the well-being and development of teachers experiencing war and displacement in Ukraine. These courses provide knowledge and skills in the topics of mental health, trauma-informed…

Background: More and more children are experiencing what have been termed adverse childhood experiences. An individual's response to these stressful events determines whether or not they are considered traumatic -- whereby the experience is so overwhelming that it engulfs their coping mechanisms leading to lasting negative effects on wellbeing.…