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Assisting Young Children Caught in Disasters pp 9–24Cite as

The Impact of Community Violence Exposure on the Developmental Outcomes of Young Children of Color

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Part of the book series: Educating the Young Child ((EDYC,volume 13))

Abstract

The focus of this chapter is to discuss the ways in which community violence exposure (CVE) impacts the developmental outcomes for young children of color. The chapter provides information about (1) a conceptual framework for understanding the impact of violence on children’s developmental outcomes; (2) statistics, with a specific focus on community or neighborhood violence; (3) the impact of violence on children’s physical development including brain development that accompany their exposure to violence; (4) how exposure to community violence influences children’s academic performance, with specific attention given to learning in the classroom, and social development with an emphasis on peer relations; (5) formal and informal intervention/prevention programs; and (6) practical suggestions for educators of young children as well as a list of web resources and suggestions for additional readings.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Miami University, 90 North Patterson Ave, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA

    Yvette R. Harris

Authors
  1. Yvette R. Harris
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yvette R. Harris .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Early Childhood Development and Education, Department of Child, Family, and Community Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA

    Judit Szente

Additional Resources

Additional Resources

Online Resources

  • First Impressions: Exposure to Violence and a Child’s Developing Brain – https://youtu.be/brVOYtNMmKk. This video discusses the impact of violence on the developing brain. Excellent resource for teachers and teacher training workshops.

  • How Childhood Trauma Affects Health across a Lifetime by Nadine Burke Harris, MD – https://youtu.be/95ovIJ3dsNk. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris in her TEDTALK discusses the impact of early trauma on long term mental and physical health. Excellent resource for teachers and teacher training workshops.

  • NAEYC, Coping with Violence  – http://www.naeyc.org/content/coping-violence. This website offers a variety of resources and tips from national experts for teachers and parents and those working with children who have experienced trauma including suggestions on how to use storytelling.

  • Office for Victims of Crime, Though Our Eyes: Children, Violence , and Trauma – https://www.ovc.gov/pubs/ThroughOurEyes. This website provides a list of resources for those working with children who have experienced various types of violence with a specific focus on treatment issues for children.

  • The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Community Violence – http://www.nctsn.org/trauma-types/community-violence. This website offers a series of resources for those working with children who have encountered community violence and provides a tip sheet for educators with suggestions on conversation starters about community violence.

Legislation, Intervention and Support Programs

  • Defending Childhood Initiative (2010) – Launched by Attorney General Eric Holder with the goals of raising public awareness of children’s exposure to violence and supporting practitioners, policy makers, and researchers in identifying solutions to address children’s exposure to violence . Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/defendingchildhood/about-initiative.

  • Safe Start Initiative (2000) – Launched by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) with the goals of preventing and reducing violence exposure for children ages birth to 6 and creating a consortium of service providers to deliver mental, family support, domestic violence , and crisis interventions to at-risk families and communities. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/fs200113.pdf.

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Harris, Y.R. (2018). The Impact of Community Violence Exposure on the Developmental Outcomes of Young Children of Color. In: Szente, J. (eds) Assisting Young Children Caught in Disasters . Educating the Young Child, vol 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62887-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62887-5_2

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