Module 2
Handout 10: Making a Difference
- Resilience is the ability to recover quickly or bounce back from hard times
and stressful events. Researchers have found that resilient children share
certain qualities which help protect them from the damaging effects of negative
life events and circumstances. There are also qualities in families, schools,
and communities that can help children "weather the storm." These
qualities are called protective factors.
- What are the protective factors that Head Start staff can promote to help
children become more resilient? Most researchers and practitioners agree that
the most crucial factor is the establishment of a close bond with an adult,
whether it is a parent, a teacher, a volunteer, or someone else in the child's
life. Many children who face and overcome great difficulties have reported
later in their lives that it was a single adult who was their "lifeline,"
someone who was there for them. Surprisingly, many of these adults are unaware
of the important contribution they have made to the child's well-being.
- Building positive relationships with children comes naturally for most Head
Start staff. But when a child has difficulty relating to peers and adults,
establishing relationships can be a challenge. Head Start staff should then
take extra steps to identify a staff person to whom the child relates; often,
it is the child himself who leads the way to this person. These special relationships
are so important that they must be recognized, nurtured, and protected as
much as possible over time. It is these relationships that provide the framework
for every other intervention, the backdrop for every strategy.
- In addition to fostering a nurturing relationship, Head Start staff can
promote other protective factors shown to help children become more resilient.
Programs can provide children with opportunities for meaningful participation
and
responsibility; promote a culture of high expectations (not demanding or burdening
expectations, but the belief that each child can make a contribution); and
help children feel valued by recognizing their abilities in specific areas.
By
promoting these protective factors, programs can make a difference in the
lives of all children, including children with challenging behaviors.
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