1. Trauma-Informed Design
Ideas for Designing Child and
Family Friendly Spaces in Shelters

2. Who We Are Jane Gibbons, Bright Space® Project Manager Julie Kelly,
Ileen Henderson,
National Director of Bright Spaces

3. Who Are You? How many of you work in shelter environments?
Do you work directly with children and families?
Are you a supervisor with oversight of people and programs for children and families?
Do you have a background in Child Development?
Do you currently have a child or family space?

4. Overview of Today’s Workshop
Understand Toxic Stress and the impact of poverty on children’s brain development
Review principles of Trauma-Informed Care as they relate to space and design
Better understand the role of Executive Function in development
Consider play and space design principles for kids experiencing trauma
Brainstorm your own child/family space

5. Activity One

6. How Spaces Impact Our Emotions

7. Understanding Children and Families in Shelters
Normal Stress
Part of typical life with supportive relationships
Can build resilience and self soothing skills
Toxic Stress
Strong, frequent and/or prolonged without supports
Includes chronic or severe neglect
Can cause long term damage

8. Link to Video
Harvard Center on the Developing Child: Toxic Stress Derails Healthy Development

9. What are Some Stressors for the Families You Serve?

10. Link to Video
Harvard Center on the Developing Child: Executive Function: Skills for Life and Learning

11. The Importance of Executive Function
Being able to focus, hold, and work with information in mind, filter distractions, and switch gears
Inhibitory Control
Working Memory
Mental Flexibility

12. Trauma-Informed Care
Realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery
Recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in children (delayed Executive Function and Self Regulation skills)
Responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices (and design)
Seeks to actively resist re-traumatization (triggers)

13. Creating Spaces Where Trauma-Informed Care Meets Design

14. Safety is Primary to Trauma-Informed Care
Physical Safety – A place where kids can enter and be in the space in their own time and style.
Emotional Safety – Children feel safe when people and places are consistent, predictable, and respectful.

16. Space to Build Relationships is Most Important
Help adults understand child development through training
Build authentic and positive relationships
Consider a parent as an individual
Consider a child as part of a family
Consider a family as part of a community

17. Caring Competent Adults Understand ‘Serve and Return’

18. Design to Build Strength and Resilience
Autonomy: Create “YES” environments
Control: Design for clear expectations with furniture and design
Choice: Provide opportunities to make decisions

20. Clear Expectations

25. Storage & Organization

26. Literacy

28. Culture Influences How People Respond
Respect diversity through sensitivity to cultural norms and rituals
Parenting styles may differ widely and need to be understood in the context of coping with trauma
Language barriers can increase family stress and attention in design can support families

29. Add Culture to Room Design

30. Display Children’s Work

32. Share Power and Decision Making

33. Use Space to Build Community

34. Gradually Increase Complexity

35. Physical Exercise and Controlled Gross Motor Development

36. Small Motor and Sensory Ideas

37. Styles of Family Spaces
What kind of space is right for you?

38. Classroom

39. Family Room

42. Waiting Room

44. Teen Room

46. Infant/Toddler Space

48. Mixed Use Indoor Space

49. Outdoor Space

53. Activity Two: Creating Your Child/Family Space
Choose the room / space you would like to consider redesigning for families and children
Is there a room currently used for children and families?
If not, what room could you use for this purpose?
Draw the room as you visualize it, add windows, doors, etc.

54. Areas to Consider Literacy Dramatic Play Arts
Quiet Play and Individual Spaces
Active Play
Safe Infant Space
Nursing Area

55. What are your Challenges/Barriers?
Small Group Discussion
What can you do for three first steps?
What holds you back?
The elephant in the room

56. How to Assist with Sustainability
Engage families in the design process to encourage buy-in, use focus groups
Kids own the space
Role of the agency responsible adult is defined
Parent co-op – share responsibility
Less is more – everything has a place
Storage of overflow

57. Early Childhood Self-Assessment Tool
Created by Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate shelters
Two sections relate to developmentally appropriate spaces for children and families

58. Core Design Concepts Start where children are
Welcome without over-stimulating
Create spaces for relationships to support ‘serve and return’ interactions

59. Contact Us