When leaders at a child care setting decide that a child must move, it is often because of behavior problems.
Challenging behavior in children usually tells a story about something the child has experienced.
Children who have experienced trauma are more likely to have challenging behavior.
Children experiencing ACES may be more likely to move because of a choice made by the leaders of a child care setting. [reference handout with ACE examples]
Children experiencing ACES need a routine stable environment to heal.
Moving children who have experienced trauma does NOT:
The child care settings that have asked her to leave have not addressed the specific behaviors, rather they have only made the problem worse for her and her Aunt. If the pattern continues, Marilynn will be at a greater risk for even more troubling behaviors.
Children who move from one child care setting to another because of behavior are at greater risk for:
It is estimated 35 million children in the United States have experienced one or more ACES.
Significant trauma, like ACES, can have life-long implications.
For children experiencing ACES, moving to a new child care setting because of challenging behavior is a missed opportunity for healing and growth.
Child care providers who continue to care for children while working on challenging behavior can:
Without intervention, children experiencing trauma (like ACES) may show worse or more frequent challenging behaviors and a pattern is created.
Each move leads to less stability, less bonding within relationships, and more challenging behavior.
All of these experiences making it harder for a child to heal from the trauma.