Designed for all professionals working with parents and families of young children, this practical guide offers comprehensive resources for building trauma-responsive family engagement in your school or program.

Julie Nicholson is Professor of Practice in the School of Education at Mills College and Co-Director of the Center for Equity in Early Childhood Education.

Julie Kurtz is CEO at the Center for Optimal Brain Integration® and trains on social-emotional and trauma-responsive practices across the lifespan. She also operates a private practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist in California, USA.

Introduction: An Urgent Need for Trauma- Sensitive Family Engagement Practices in Early Childhood 1. When We Talk about Parents and Families, Who is Included? 2. Understanding State Dependent Functioning: The Importance of Maintaining Regulation in Trauma-Responsive Environments 3. Foundations of High-Quality Family Engagement 4. Core Principle: Understand Stress and Trauma 5. Core Principle: Acknowledge Systems of Privilege and Oppression and Take Actions to Disrupt Inequity 6. Core Principle: Establish Safety and Predictability 7. Core Principle: Provide Opportunities for Agency and Control 8. Core Principle: Promote Coping, Resilience, Healing and Wellness 9. Father Engagement: Intentionally Planning for and Centering Fathers and Father Figures in Early Childhood 10. Case Studies: Applying Ideas Throughout the Book to Your Practice