Resilient Oakland Communities & Kids (ROCK)
Trauma Informed Classroom Practices
Since 2017, through the Resilient Oakland Communities and Kids (ROCK) initiative, OSSS has been building 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. The program also supports self-awareness in adults about their own experiences with trauma, and teaches self-care strategies they can use to support their well-being.
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ROCK Data Vizualization by OSSS
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ROCK Framework
ROCK has created an ongoing teacher training framework that includes in person and virtual group trainings, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), educator coaching, yoga and self care resources. ROCK has also developed practical tools for educators which can be found in the comprehensive ROCK Toolkit. ROCK teacher trainings and coaching are based on evidence-based Trauma Informed Practices for children, adults and systems as organized in Trauma Informed Practices for Early Childhood Educators (Nicholson et al, 2023).
New Findings Reveal Positive Impacts of ROCK Supports
A survey of OUSD early childhood educators conducted by OSSS in 2022 has revealed the positive impact of ROCK supports, with survey respondents reporting widespread use of many trauma-responsive classroom strategies. Notably, educators who participated in Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions held substantially more positive beliefs about their students, jobs and themselves compared to those who did not attend a PLC. ROCK PLCs offer educators an opportunity to delve deeper into trauma-responsive resilience and self-care strategies, through intensive collaboration and exchange of knowledge and best practices.
ROCK lifts up the collective skills, knowledge and cultural assets of individuals and agencies within Oakland as critical expertise. Partners have included Oakland Unified School District, City of Oakland Head Start/Early Head Start, New Teacher Center, Early Learning Lab and childhood social emotional and/or trauma informed practices experts, Dr. Julie Nicholson, Julie Kurtz (Center for Optimal Brain Integration), Dr. LaWanda Wesley, and Dr. Tasha Henneman.
In Spring 2024, OSSS released the report, ROCK Toolkit: Lessons in Healing-Centered, Trauma-Responsive Early Education, which describes the evolution of ROCK over the years, including practical resources for educators and school leaders to both launch and continue the program at desired sites.
Learn more about ROCK
Blog post by New America Media: Seeing a Birth of Hope: Training Teachers in Trauma-Informed Classroom Practice.
Click here to download & read our ROCK Evaluation Summary and click here for our full ROCK Evaluation Report.
ROCK has created an ongoing teacher training framework that includes in person and virtual group trainings, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), educator coaching, yoga and self care resources. ROCK has also developed practical tools for educators which can be found in the comprehensive ROCK Toolkit. ROCK teacher trainings and coaching are based on evidence-based Trauma Informed Practices for children, adults and systems as organized in Trauma Informed Practices for Early Childhood Educators (Nicholson et al, 2023).
New Findings Reveal Positive Impacts of ROCK Supports
A survey of OUSD early childhood educators conducted by OSSS in 2022 has revealed the positive impact of ROCK supports, with survey respondents reporting widespread use of many trauma-responsive classroom strategies. Notably, educators who participated in Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions held substantially more positive beliefs about their students, jobs and themselves compared to those who did not attend a PLC. ROCK PLCs offer educators an opportunity to delve deeper into trauma-responsive resilience and self-care strategies, through intensive collaboration and exchange of knowledge and best practices.
ROCK lifts up the collective skills, knowledge and cultural assets of individuals and agencies within Oakland as critical expertise. Partners have included Oakland Unified School District, City of Oakland Head Start/Early Head Start, New Teacher Center, Early Learning Lab and childhood social emotional and/or trauma informed practices experts, Dr. Julie Nicholson, Julie Kurtz (Center for Optimal Brain Integration), Dr. LaWanda Wesley, and Dr. Tasha Henneman.
In Spring 2024, OSSS released the report, ROCK Toolkit: Lessons in Healing-Centered, Trauma-Responsive Early Education, which describes the evolution of ROCK over the years, including practical resources for educators and school leaders to both launch and continue the program at desired sites.
Learn more about ROCK
Blog post by New America Media: Seeing a Birth of Hope: Training Teachers in Trauma-Informed Classroom Practice.
Click here to download & read our ROCK Evaluation Summary and click here for our full ROCK Evaluation Report.