ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines foundational principles that used to guide early childhood educators' discussion of trauma and desire to build trauma-informed early learning programs/services for children and families. The coast redwoods unique features and impressive resiliency in the face of many threats to its well-being makes it a useful metaphor for young children's strengths and resilience, along with family and community assets and adaptability in the face of trauma. The goal of the attachment system is for a child to be near the parent/caregiver in time of stress, fear, or danger. Some adults, suffering from the consequences of their own exposure to trauma, may not have secure intertwined roots of their own, leaving young children vulnerable to the dangers they may encounter in their environment. The bark of a coast redwood grows up to one foot in thickness and is the "heart" of the tree that provides it with insulation and protection from pests and danger.
