The Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter is eager to support foster families throughout our area. In fact, many of these families now care for and support the children we’ve come to know personally. The NWACS aims to support foster families by providing the following:

• Trauma-informed trainings at no cost
• Trainings in a variety of locations in Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties
• Snacks and drinks (and meals when possible) to ensure a comfortable experience
• Certificates of completion to foster parents for continuing education credits
• Availability for contact after the date of the training for additional support and transfer of learning

UPCOMING TRAINING

Back to School: Helping Children and Youth in Foster Care Have a Positive School Experience

For many kids, a new school year can be a source of both anxiety and excitement…and they ultimately begin to adjust to new challenges. For children and youth who have experienced trauma, however, the transition to a new teacher, classroom, schedule, and school can reactivate other uncertainties, losses, fears, and perceived failures.

For some, it’s not only the transition back to school that is challenging, but learning itself. Since prenatal substance exposure is believed to be present in nearly 80% of children in the foster care system (Dicker & Gordon, 2004), behavioral and learning challenges in school may stem from stressors before they were even born. One under-reported example is alcohol exposure, which adversely affects a child’s learning, attention, memory, information processing, and behavior (all critical for school).

For other children who have experienced abuse or neglect, the hypervigilance they once needed to stay safe may still appear as impulsivity, hyperactivity, or an inability to focus (all symptoms of ADHD).

Then, if kids have a history of disrupted attachments, they might interpret teachers and staff as unable to keep them safe, unable to meet their needs, or unable to see them as “lovable” and competent when they continue to have challenges.

This training will help reframe the learning and behavioral challenges in school that are associated with experiences of trauma so that children in foster care can feel understood by their foster families and teachers who support them. Recommended strategies and communication with school personnel will also be discussed.

Springdale
Thursday, August 25th, 2022
6:00-8:00pm
First United Methodist Church (Downtown Springdale)
206 W. Johnson Ave., Springdale, Arkansas, 72764

Please register by Friday, August 19th.

This training will include childcare, but the availability is limited. Please include the children’s ages in the registration. 

If fewer than 7 participants are registered, all registrants will be notified in advance that the training will be moved to an alternate date or canceled.

Continuing education certificates will be provided to participants.

For questions or additional information, please contact Adam at AMartin@nwacs.org.

NWACS wants to ensure that families feel equipped to understand and meet the needs of children and adolescents who have experienced maltreatment, multiple placements and early trauma. We’ll also use the feedback we receive from foster families to ensure topics they request are included in future events.

Stay tuned to this page and the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter Facebook page for information about upcoming training sessions and registration information.

For questions or additional information, please contact Adam at (479) 795-2417 ext 315 or amartin@nwacs.org.