Trauma-Informed Research-Practice Partnership Building to Support Early Childhood Educators in an Appalachian Community

Abstract

Trauma-informed initiatives that prioritize educator well-being through equitable research-practice partnership (RPP) building are necessary to advance trauma-informed education and care for young children in rural Appalachian communities. Early stages of partnership building that consider dimensions identified by Henrick et al. (2017) foster trusting relationships, address the goals of partnering organizations, and work toward capacity building. Burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue are common problems faced by early childhood professionals who may be exposed to high levels of stress and trauma in their work with young children. Thus, any initiatives with early childhood educators should include short- and long-term strategies to address the status of the workforce. Recognizing how trauma and social determinants of health impact the rural early childhood workforce and their ability to implement trauma-informed practices in the classroom is a first step toward holistic professional development. The purpose of this article is to highlight how the early stages of a partnership study with a rural Appalachian pre-kindergarten (pre-K) program and two universities provided a foundation for future research, practice, and partnership activities. Often, trauma-informed professional learning relies on classroom strategies and swift problem-solving techniques that do not consider the primary and secondary trauma faced by early childhood educators and how these traumas directly impact educators’ ability to improve classroom practices.