The present study investigated the effects of the pilot implementation of a trauma supplement intervention based on the Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC) framework (Blaustein & Kinniburgh, 2010) on Head Start agency attitudes, teacher practices, classroom climate, and social and emotional outcomes Head Start students who have experienced trauma and their peers who have not. One hundred and six children, ages 3-4, enrolled in Head Start preschool in the 2014 school year, their teachers (N= 5) and teacher assistants (N=6) participated. At the trauma supplement intervention site, teachers (N=3) and teacher assistants (N=3) participated in two, half-day trainings over the period of six weeks regarding trauma-informed practice, based on the ARC framework and were asked to implement specific practices within their classrooms. This was done in addition to the social emotional curriculum, Al’s Pals, already in place (i.e., trauma supplement intervention group). The comparison site implemented the social emotional curriculum as usual (i.e., Al’s Pals) but did not receive any training on trauma-informed practices (i.e., intervention-as-usual comparison group). Results of agency-level analyses suggests that while administrators acknowledge the importance of trauma-informed practices, few practices were in place prior to or following the implementation of the intervention. Teachers in the intervention group (N=3) reported positive effects of the intervention on their knowledge regarding trauma informed care. At the individual child level, improvements in internalizing behaviors at posttest as measured by the BASC-2 PM, Internalizing subscale were noted among all children in the intervention group when compared with those in the comparison group. When caregiver ratings of symptom severity were considered, the greatest improvements were made by children who had experienced the most severe trauma. Practical implications of this study underline the importance of implementing trauma-informed interventions in the Head Start setting, beginning at the level of the system. Implications for further research addressing this study’s limitations are presented.
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