The Journey to Trauma-Informed

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The journey to becoming a trauma-informed school is typically a 3-5 year process, which includes gathering clear evidence of progress through each stage. ESSDACK believes that to sustain progress, school leaders must commit to intentionally focusing on the change process for at least three years by providing high-quality and ongoing professional learning. This process is best supported by experts in trauma-informed school research, practices, and facilitation of systems change.

The ESSDACK Resilience Team can be your expert guides in that learning.

The first step is to identify where you are along the trauma-informed continuum. Use the graphics below to assess your district's overall level of engagement in understanding the science of trauma and resilience, and how you are utilizing strategies that support students, teachers, and families. This measure will help you determine how you are currently creating a culture within your school community that is trauma-informed.
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​The progression below highlights each stage of the Trauma-Informed Continuum. Read through each description, and select the category that best describes your district/school at this time. Then click on the picture that shows where you are to find the steps that will take you to the next level.

Start here

Choose which level your school is on based on the bulleted items. Then click that image to see the recommended steps that will move your school across the continuum to become truly Trauma-Informed. ​

  • We are aware of the ACE Study.

  • We are willing to grow, learn, and appreciate multiple points of view.

  • We are becoming aware of simple concepts about how the brain functions.

  • We are committed to establishing buy-in to move along the trauma-informed continuum.

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  • We understand ACEs and see the impact of trauma in our community.

  • We are actively seeking to learn more.

  • We have not made major changes to our practices or policies.

  • We are actively working to build strong relationships

  • We are leaning to respond vs. react.

  • We are committed to work through systemic and personal change processes to move along the trauma-informed continuum.

  • We have a deepening understanding of the science behind trauma and resilience.

  • We are co-creating a culture that responds to trauma by building resilience.

  • We are equipped with strategies to help students and adults co-regulate.

  • We are creating and following trauma-responsive practices and policies.

  • We are committed to sustaining our work to create systemic and personal changes to move along the trauma-informed continuum.

  • We have a culture and belief system shared by all - leadership, faculty, staff members, families and community members.

  • Every policy and practice in our system is trauma-responsive.

  • We have experienced a leadership change and the culture/practices of trauma and resilience have remained.

  • Being Trauma-Informed is just who we are as a school.