Head Start Administrators’ Perspectives of Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach

Educators are increasingly using trauma-informed approaches to lessen the harsh effects of trauma on children. Although this practice is becoming more common in U.S. kindergarten through Grade 12 schools, it has been slow to reach the early care and education setting, which includes Head Start programs. Head Starts are encouraged to use a trauma informed approach, however, there is limited availability of resources to guide them. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of administrators from Head Start programs located in a Midwestern state who have used a trauma-informed approach to understand the barriers and facilitators to the implementation process. The consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) and implementation science were used to guide this study to discover factors that are barriers and facilitators. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 Head Start administrators who have participated in the implementation of a trauma-informed approach. Thematic analysis of the interview data was based on CFIR constructs. Findings from this study indicate that barriers to implementation include high cost for implementation, language barriers of families and teaching staff, a reluctance of staff to change, staff shortages, and the aftereffects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Facilitators include staff beliefs and buy-in, leadership support, training, a planning team, parent engagement, and a way to evaluate the effectiveness of implementation. The findings of this study may contribute to positive social change by providing information that Head Start administrators may use to develop strategies for implementing a trauma-informed approach. These findings should ultimately lead to better supports for children who have experienced trauma and the early childhood educators who care for them.