We don’t heal in isolation; we heal in connection.
– Esther Perel

“Adverse childhood experiences, stress, and resilience among early childhood teachers” is the name of a study on the US National Library of Medicine website.

The study reports: “Research by Hubel and colleagues (2020) found that early childhood teachers report experiencing ACEs [Adverse Childhood Experiences] at higher rates than adults in the general population…Furthermore, higher levels of ACEs were associated with more negative social-emotional classroom climate.” Finding ways to help early childhood educators deal with their own stresses from high ACES scores is vitally important to helping them provide more nurturing, positive experiences for the children in their care.

In her book Happiness is Running through the Streets to Find You, Holly Elissa Bruno describes her personal experience in healing from childhood trauma. She offers a number of exercises and personal reflection activities to help teachers address and heal from their own toxic stress.

She also urges educators to remember that healing is always possible, for both adults and children. She writes, “I invite you not to use irreparable when speaking of traumatized children. If that child experiences a loving relationship at any point in her life, she can heal. Her process is more difficult and painstaking; however, she can heal. We cannot rob a child of hope.”