A Randomized Controlled Trial of Trauma-awareness Training for Early Childhood Educators

Summary

Background. To increase school readiness, Pre-K programs for low-income children must be responsive to the role of trauma in the lives of children, families, and staff. In 2017-2018, the School District of Philadelphia's (SDP) Office of Early Childhood Education will help Pre-K teachers support children's social-emotional and behavioral health, which is essential for early learning, by offering teachers a professional development course called Enhancing Trauma Awareness (ETA).

Purpose. To determine whether teachers who take ETA will have: 1) better work functioning; 2) more trusting work relationships; and 3) better health.

Population. Pre-K classroom teachers (n=128) working in centers under SDP auspice that serve exclusively low-income (≤300 % of poverty) children.

Intervention. A 12-week professional development course-Enhancing Trauma Awareness-will delivered by Lakeside Global Institute in 6 group sessions, with 16 teachers per group and each session lasting 2.5 hours.

Design. Consenting teachers will be randomly assigned by classroom (lead teacher and/or assistant teacher) to receive the ETA course in either fall 2017 (intervention groups) or spring 2018 (wait-list control groups).

Data collection and analysis. An external evaluation team (Temple University) will administer a confidential, online survey to all 128 teachers in fall 2017 (before fall course), winter 2017 (after fall course), and spring 2018 (after spring course). Teacher-children relationship quality will be the a priori primary outcome, and secondary outcomes will be assessed across the domains of work functioning, trust, and health.

Conditions

• Burnout, Professional

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Enhancing Trauma Awareness (Diane Wagenhals, MEd-Lakeside Global Institute)

The trauma awareness professional development course is delivered in a small group (up to 16 participants; 2.5 hours every other week over 12 weeks). The course provides an environment for professionals to explore in depth the complex nature of trauma, while also recognizing and emphasizing the highly sensitive nature of trauma that is essential to becoming trauma-informed. The course facilitates a heightened awareness and appreciation for trauma-related behaviors and consequences that influence relationships and systems and that persist across generations.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Lakeside Global Institute

  collaborator OTHER

• The School District of Philadelphia

  collaborator OTHER

• Temple University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Robert Whitaker, MD, MPH · Temple University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-09-19

Primary Completion

2018-05-21

Completion

2018-05-21

Countries

• United States

Study Locations