ABSTRACT
Creating environments where the youngest children feel happy and safe can be challenging for any early education provider. For educators serving children with refugee and asylum-seeker experiences, children who have experienced forced displacement, the loss of home, pets, or even family members, the work is much more challenging. This chapter delves into the far-reaching consequences of trauma, its impact on the youngest learners, and the caustic effects of vicarious trauma on those who support and educate newly arrived families. For carers who support young newly arrived children, working to understand the many ways trauma can manifest itself is challenging but important. The ways complex childhood trauma can affect social, emotional, behavioural, and academic outcomes are a primary focus of the literature and research vignettes. A caution is offered that while it is imperative for teachers to support developmental delays, physical maladies, and behavioural issues, it is also vital that they remain cautious about not assigning labels or diagnoses that might limit the forward potential of these young learners. For those who work closely with newly arrived families, the chapter highlights strategies for proactively addressing triggers and educating staff to better support young children.
