Becoming Trauma-Informed: How YMCAs in New Jersey area transformed their approach

By Gina Hernandez, MA, YMCA of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge and South Amboy (MEWSA).

It is 4:45 p.m. in a Middlesex County, NJ afterschool program. Two children are arguing over a glue stick.

“I want that!” exclaimed 6-year old Jenny as she stomped over to a staff member.

Staff member Katie Walsh gets down to her eye level and says, “You are having a tough time and feel frustrated. I have felt like that too when someone is using something I want. How about we breathe?”

Together they breathe in 3 counts and out 4 counts to a rhythm that helps to diffuse the intense feelings of the moment. Katie asks, “Would you like a break in the Calm Down Corner or be my helper?” Jenny points across the room and they walk together to the Calm Down Corner - a space designed to help children regulate and identify emotions. Jenny opens the Calm Down kit, filled with sensory items, and immediately pulls out a pinwheel and a coloring pad. She turns over the bubble timer and, in several minutes, starts to relax. When she is ready, Jenny leaves the area and rejoins her friends.

Weeks ago, Jenny would have likely been hitting her classmates or crying for more than an hour as several staff attempted to calm her. Program staff can see the progress Jenny has made, but it’s not just Jenny who has made progress in this area.

With new information, skills, and coaching, 13 YMCA of MEWSA sites in New Jersey are on the journey to becoming trauma-informed and developing trauma-sensitive skills. The 75 staff are part of a Trauma Transformation Initiative developed by the Child Wellness Institute of NJ.

Katie remarks, “I now know I need to connect with a child first and help them reset their brains before trying to correct or address the behavior. The child has to be able to get out of 'survival brain' and into 'learning brain' before we can talk about it!”

Katie, like her coworkers, now knows more about how a child’s brain works and is currently practicing her connection and co-regulation skills with Jenny. Jenny is learning to calm her brain (and calm herself) and use words to express feelings - which is a new approach staff are using with the children in the before/afterschool program. 

With a lot of discussion nationally surrounding the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACES), trauma and resilience, it is a topic that still needs to reach everyone working with children. A recent survey showed that only 5 percent of before/afterschool program staff had ever heard of ACES, yet 100 percent reported feeling overwhelmed or unsure of the best way to manage the classroom environment while still connecting with the child.

Starting education at the earliest ages can help the caregivers and parents of young and school-aged children support their child’s emotional needs, build resilience, prevent future trauma, and improve social-emotional competence that can last a lifetime.

The Child Wellness Institute of New Jersey originally developed the research-based project called Trauma Transformation Initiative (TTI) for childcare centers and had promising results and incredibly positive feedback. In 2018, TTI was adapted for before/afterschool programs with equally positive results from both staff and families.

The program includes a Program Assessment, a Best Practice Guidebook, and on-site Trauma 101 training where staff learned about adverse childhood experiences, toxic stress, the effects of trauma on the brain, and strategies to use. The staff also participate in 3 webinars, a tailored coaching session, and receive ongoing assistance along the way.  TTI also hosts on-site parent workshops that teach parents about ACES, their own emotional triggers, and ways to help their children identify and regulate their emotions. Calm Down kits and posters were developed and provided with instructions to the childcare center staff and the parents. The program also identified “champion” staff to continue the workshops after they conclude so the project is sustainable.

Rose Cushing, President & CEO of the YMCA of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge & South Amboy, states, “The Trauma Transformation Initiative is a wonderful program that has helped to positively enhance our Y’s school-age staff’s professional development. It is teaching the staff to engage and support children on a journey of building resilience. “ 

Initial evaluation results of the before/afterschool program staff found: an increase in knowledge of ACES, an increase in knowledge about trauma’s impact as well as 100% of staff were able to identify at least one new way to redirect challenging behavior. Child Wellness Institute of NJ is currently providing the next phases of the project with results expected to be available by February 2020.

Interested? Check out the website and video.

Contact Gina Hernandez at ghernandez@preventchildabusenj.org for more information.