Kim Polson, Executive Director of Community Children’s Center (CCC), used the acronym ASRI to explain the “trauma-informed” concept.
Trauma-informed means to be Aware of the prevalence of trauma, Sensitive to its impact, Responsive in order to begin change, and Informed about practices that help those who have experienced trauma to cope with the world. One of CCC primary roles in Douglas County is to deliver workshops to develop ASRI skills for caretakers and educators of young children. The training can move organizations in all sectors along the trauma-informed continuum.
CCC was founded in 1985 to establish one the first Head Start programs in the country. When the organization’s Head Start delegate role was eliminated in 2018 by the Federal government, the CCC Board envisioned a new set of tasks for itself in Lawrence and Douglas County. The new role retains the mission: “…to bring about a greater degree of social-emotional competence and school success for young children and their families experiencing economic, educational and social challenges by providing caregivers with training, coaching and support.”
CCC recently received funding to develop an online hub for all things early childhood in Douglas County. The hub will be a community-wide, cross-sector partnership. The site will provide a “one-stop shop” for those caring for children, birth to 5 years of age, and will “connect the dots” for creating logical pathways and seamless online navigation.
