Creating Cultures of Care: Supporting the Whole Child through Trauma-Informed Practice

Equipped with rapidly growing knowledge about how trauma can undermine young people’s healthy development and ability to learn, many youth-serving professionals, community leaders, and policymakers are infusing principles of trauma-informed practice into program design, implementation, and policy proposals. Creating Cultures of Care: Supporting the Whole Child through Trauma-Informed Practice, a new piece from the Center for Promise for America’s Promise Alliance’s Every School Healthy campaign, shares important insights about trauma-informed practice, drawing from both the prevailing literature and on-the-ground community expertise.

This brief offers a framework for how trauma-informed practice complements positive youth development, while illustrating the bridge between theory and practice. You’ll read about the work of two specific communities- one in Oregon and one in Missouri- which are engaged in collaborative, on-the-ground efforts to make healthy schools that support all young people the norm and not the exception. These communities serve as an inspiration to others across the country as they lead the way in creating healthier school environments where every child can thrive.