The Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s Promising Minds Initiative focused on increasing the healthy development of vulnerable children ages 0-5 and building resilience in those who have already experienced the negative effects of trauma in their short lives. Promising Minds brought together early childhood educators, practitioners, and service providers to set the foundation for positive early childhood behavioral health. A major goal of Promising Minds was moving toward a coherent health and early childhood system--one that was cohesive and resilient.
As part of achieving this goal, the Promising Minds team collaborated with Engage R+D, an evaluation and strategy consultant firm, to design and launch the Resilient Early Childhood Systems Self-Assessment (RECSSA) Tool. The RECSSA was developed in response to conversations about needs and gaps in the early childhood field with providers and leaders across Hawaiʻi. It fills an important gap in the availability of a trauma-informed assessment tool specific to early childhood organizations, and inclusive of a cultural lens unique to Hawaiʻi.
This tool was designed to support early childhood organizations to design a cohesive resilient early childhood system. This tool identifies indicators to help guide organizations and programs toward deeper, systemic changes required to be trauma informed. In 2022, the RECSSA tool was launched. To date, 16 organizations and/or programs have utilized the tool.
By collaborating with state agencies, community organizations, and dedicated professionals, Promising Minds not only enhanced care for Hawaiʻi’s youngest keiki, but also strengthened the systems that support them.
A Hawaiʻi early childhood program makes strides in becoming a safe place of empathy and healing for keiki.
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Want to learn more? Contact the HCF Health and Wellness Sector team at Health@hcf-hawaii.org.
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