Resilient Oakland Communities & Kids (ROCK)
Trauma-Responsive Classroom Toolkit
Resilient Oakland Communities and Kids (ROCK) builds knowledge about protective factors and resilience, trauma and its impact on children's health and learning, and classroom-based trauma informed practices for early childhood educators while supporting their self-awareness about their own experiences with trauma, and teaches self-care strategies they can use to support their well-being.
In Spring 2024, OSSS released the report, Resilient Oakland Communities and Kids (ROCK) Toolkit: Lessons in Healing-Centered, Trauma-Responsive Early Education, which shares the evolution of ROCK since 2017 and illustrates how to further promote the healthy social-emotional development of children in trauma-responsive environments by investing in building resilience and healing within our educators.
Educators and school sites interested in engaging in trauma-informed, resilient building work are encouraged to take a look at the tools below, try them on, and modify them to fit their specific contexts. These practical tools are offered to serve as a springboard for more conversations about trauma-informed practices and how to cultivate more safe, welcoming, resilient-building learning spaces for both educators and children.
Click here to find out more about ROCK.
In Spring 2024, OSSS released the report, Resilient Oakland Communities and Kids (ROCK) Toolkit: Lessons in Healing-Centered, Trauma-Responsive Early Education, which shares the evolution of ROCK since 2017 and illustrates how to further promote the healthy social-emotional development of children in trauma-responsive environments by investing in building resilience and healing within our educators.
Educators and school sites interested in engaging in trauma-informed, resilient building work are encouraged to take a look at the tools below, try them on, and modify them to fit their specific contexts. These practical tools are offered to serve as a springboard for more conversations about trauma-informed practices and how to cultivate more safe, welcoming, resilient-building learning spaces for both educators and children.
Click here to find out more about ROCK.
Trauma-Responsive Classroom Strategies
These tools serve as a launching pad. When using them, educators are invited to both celebrate the trauma-responsive strategies they are already engaging with and to also identify a few strategies they might try, or refine.
These tools serve as a launching pad. When using them, educators are invited to both celebrate the trauma-responsive strategies they are already engaging with and to also identify a few strategies they might try, or refine.
- Trauma Responsive Classroom Strategies (English / Spanish)
- ROCK Classroom Strategies: These slides offer the ROCK classroom strategies in slide format, with many examples. Facilitators are encouraged to use these slides to support having conversations with educators about what they are already doing in the classroom and what goals they can set.
Identifying Stressors
In this work, educators, administrators, and other adults are frequently invited to engage in self-examination. We suggest that adults spend time considering each of these possible stressors and talk in teaching teams about support mechanisms.
In this work, educators, administrators, and other adults are frequently invited to engage in self-examination. We suggest that adults spend time considering each of these possible stressors and talk in teaching teams about support mechanisms.
Knowing Children
In collaboration with New Teacher Center, this tool relies on the notion that in order to deeply engage with a child, it is important to make efforts to see the full picture. The Knowing Children tool confirms that educators amazingly know so much about their children and also prompts them to find out more.
In collaboration with New Teacher Center, this tool relies on the notion that in order to deeply engage with a child, it is important to make efforts to see the full picture. The Knowing Children tool confirms that educators amazingly know so much about their children and also prompts them to find out more.
Professional Learning Community (PLC) Tools
School staff meet together regularly, building a safe learning community. The following encompass a sample launching toolkit for any school site interested in starting a Professional Learning Community (PLC).
School staff meet together regularly, building a safe learning community. The following encompass a sample launching toolkit for any school site interested in starting a Professional Learning Community (PLC).
- ROCK PLC Sample Scope: This scope offers guidance for facilitating a monthly, one-hour PLC. It includes meeting objectives and topics for a 7-month sequence
- ROCK PLC Sample Agenda: This agenda offers a template for the flow and facilitation of a first PLC session. Ideally, all sessions include an opening to ground participants, relationship building activities, ROCK content (in this case, “The Why”), highlights of practice and self care discussions. Because this sample agenda is from the first session, time is spent co-constructing and discussing agreements.
- ROCK PLC Sample Participant Packet: Participant pages and packets are offered throughout the PLC. These sheets are a simple, accessible resource for participants, as a support for the text Trauma Informed Practices for Early Childhood Educators, by Nicholson, Perez, Kurtz, Bryant, and Giles (2023).
Community of Practice Series
This 4-part online series invites educators to consider trauma-based practices and offering classroom strategies to support resilience. Educators are asked to identify a focus child to keep in mind throughout the different sessions and are encouraged to bring and discuss successes and wonderings regarding this child. Mindfulness strategies are weaved in throughout the series.
This 4-part online series invites educators to consider trauma-based practices and offering classroom strategies to support resilience. Educators are asked to identify a focus child to keep in mind throughout the different sessions and are encouraged to bring and discuss successes and wonderings regarding this child. Mindfulness strategies are weaved in throughout the series.
- Sample ROCK Community of Practice Sessions 1 - 4
- Topics include: intro to trauma, idea of focus child, introduction of strategies, emotional literacy, self-regulation, building relationships with families
Other PLC Tools: Surveys
Gathering feedback from educators is critical for continuous program improvement as well as to measure the impact of ROCK .
Gathering feedback from educators is critical for continuous program improvement as well as to measure the impact of ROCK .
- ROCK Strategies Survey: This survey is designed to understand how well ROCK supports have helped educators implement resilience building strategies. The survey includes questions developed with feedback from educators, as well as items from the validated ARTIC scale measuring attitudes towards trauma-informed care.
- Teacher Opinion Survey: This survey is conducted at the beginning (pre) of the PLC and then at the end (post).
- PLC Exit Ticket: This is one way of collecting feedback at each PLC session, based on a template from Shawn Bryant, Founding Director, Yes to ECE.
ROCK Levels of Support
It is critical to recognize that this work takes time. This document is one way of structuring different levels of support for schools as they move through the program. As the work grows, the conversations deepen, and at the same time, the facilitator might step back.
It is critical to recognize that this work takes time. This document is one way of structuring different levels of support for schools as they move through the program. As the work grows, the conversations deepen, and at the same time, the facilitator might step back.
Trauma Informed, Resilience Building Trainings
Coaching and consultation on social-emotional, trauma-responsive and resilience building practices can be offered in different modalities with experienced facilitators.
Coaching and consultation on social-emotional, trauma-responsive and resilience building practices can be offered in different modalities with experienced facilitators.