Contact Britany:

Email: office@centralfreemethodist.org --  britanymiller@gmail.com
Cell: 989-335-3471 -- call or text
​Church Office Phone: 517-485-2232

Understanding Grief & Trauma replays - Feb 8, 2020:

Trauma mini training:​

Webinar Replay: Trauma Informed kids ministry

2018 Annual Training Recap:

How to use the nursery pager:​

​Trauma informed tools and strategies:

Preventative
  • Cueing - let kids know what transition they will be making before you want them to do so
  • Presence and proximity - move closer to students who need a gentle reminder to focus
  • Touch - gently place a hand on a shoulder of student starting to get out of control
  • Refrain from pointing out undesirable behavior - comment positively on any move toward compliance
  • Pre arranged signals - each child is allowed to raise their hands and ask for a rest. They are allowed to calm themselves down in the library room without fear of getting in trouble.
  • Emphasize choices and responsibility clearly
  • Choices - present two equal choices and let kids decide
  • Avoid escalation responses (getting in kids faces, discrediting them in front of others, engaging in power struggles, raising your voice)
  • Whole Brain Teaching to keep attention and focus
  • Compromise - everyone wins
  • Re-do - allow second chances to do things better
  • Bump Hill Mountain - allows for self regulation
  • Ask what is the need behind this behavior?
  • Reinforce positive behavior - acknowledgement
  • Planned ignoring - ignore attention seeking behaviors that do not affect safety or group functioning
  • Interest boosting - comment on kids work, talk to them about an interest, change the tempo or activity as soon as you start to lose the kids interest -- do not double down
  • Humor - use timely and not sarcasm or cynicism
  • Regroup or restructure - move students to a physical place where they can succeed (not in a consequence way)
  • Keep to the routine
  • Direct appeal - only works if you have a really good and established relationship. Help kids see how their behaviors are affecting other people negatively


De-escalating
  • Notice distress
  • Don’t rush process
  • Connect with the person without pressuring them
  • Sit side by side instead of face to face
  • Don’t be afraid to be quiet
  • One YES - offer them a drink. Get them to say Yes. Saying it positively impacts their thoughts and turns them from survival brain to calm brain
  • Redirect behaviors when needed (provide alternate choices and activities)
  • Only when they are calm can you discuss what happened and consequences
  • Try gentle

Helpful links:

KidCentral Volunteer Handbook
​Child Interaction Policy
​KidCentral Core Values

Nursery Staff Procedures
​Nursery Parent Info Sheet

KidCentral Volunteer Application