The Foundational training on psychological first aid (PFA) and trauma-Informed practices for young children and their caregivers fills a critical knowledge and skills gap in the early childhood workforce capacity, which surfaced due to the current humanitarian crisis created by the war in Ukraine. Many questions need to be answered to ensure that the needs of young refugee children and their caregivers are met, and that early childhood practitioners are protected while providing this much-needed support.

The main questions addressed in the training are the following:

• How to identify young children in distress and provide them with adequate support?
• How to protect, interact, communicate with, involve, and support young children and their families who have experienced traumatic situations without doing them any harm?
• What early childhood practitioners should (or should not do) to ensure that internally displaced or refugee children develop in a safe, nurturing, and inclusive environment where they can heal from harmful experiences, affirm their identity and childhood, and continue to play and learn alongside their peers?
• How can early childhood practitioners ensure that they are promoting respect for diversity and empathy?
• How early childhood practitioners can take care of personal and team well-being and mental health, to be able to serve children and families in the most efficient way?

The Foundational Training on Psychological First Aid (PFA) and trauma-informed practices for young children and their caregivers is built around three building blocks. You can read an excerpt of the Training Guide by clicking the "read the excerpt" button.

If you are interested in learning more about the training, contact us.