Each new school year is both exciting and tough. A return to routine is usually most welcome. Yet new teachers, new friends, and a new schedule can be overwhelming for kids, especially for our kids who have come from a traumatic background.
We've compiled a few resources for you that can help ease the transition. Some of them have worksheets that you or your child can fill out that will help their teacher be introduced to them. Others have links to great, short articles about how trauma affects learning or behavior in the classroom.
If you're like me, something short and easy to hand to a teacher sounds great. You don't want to overwhelm them with information, but you also want them to be prepared and welcoming to your child. That's a hard role to fill. We hope some of these resources will be a good start for you and your child.
Back to School for Parents from Empowered to Connect
Meet My Child from Empowered to Connect
"Dear Educator" Letter from Empowered to Connect
Trauma Sensitive Tips for Teachers from Brave Brains
(If you are an educator or school professional, we highly recommend Brave Brains curriculum for training school staff.)
Supporting a Child Who is Adopted from North American Council in Adoptable Children
Supporting a Child in Foster Care from North American Council in Adoptable Children
Supporting a Child in Kinship Care from North American Council in Adoptable Children
How to Help a Traumatized Child in the Classroom from Greater Good Magazine
Parent Information Center of Delaware is hosting a free Learning Community about School Transition Planning on August 23rd at 12 noon. Register HERE
We hope to have more resources for you in the future. Let us know what questions you may want addressed or other helpful tools you have used by emailing us!
* We may not agree with every stance or all language in the above resources, so please use your discretion when utilizing the above. We do think that the main points of their approach is a helpful tool. *