Helping Young Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: Policies and Strategies for Early Care and Education

Early childhood trauma occurs when a young child experiences an event that causes actual harm or poses a serious threat to the child's emotional and physical well-being. These events range from experiencing abuse and neglect to having a parent with substance abuse issues or being separated from a parent. Trauma is different from regular life stressors because it causes a sense of intense fear, terror, and helplessness that is beyond the normal range for typical experiences.