Why This Toolkit Matters
Children do not need perfect adults. They need safe, caring, regulated adults who are willing to connect, repair, and try again.
This free trauma-informed toolkit was created to help parents, caregivers, early childhood educators, and community members better understand children’s big feelings, challenging behaviors, and emotional needs.
Inside, you’ll find simple visuals, reflection prompts, and practical strategies to help you respond with more calm, compassion, and confidence.
When adults feel supported, children feel safer.
When children feel safer, they are more able to connect, regulate, learn, and grow.
What This Free Toolkit Includes
The Trauma-Informed Toolkit is a practical resource designed to help you bring trauma-informed care into everyday moments at home, in the classroom, and in caregiving spaces.
Inside the toolkit, you’ll find:
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The JOYROOTS™ Trauma-Informed Framework
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6 daily trauma-informed principles for children and families
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Support for understanding big feelings in children ages 0–5
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The 5 steps of Serve and Return
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Trauma-informed discipline and de-escalation tools
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Ways to strengthen physical and emotional safety
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Culturally affirming care practices
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Reflection space for your own thoughts and healing
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Resources to stay connected with The Joy I’ve Found
This is not about having all the answers.
It is about learning how to pause, connect, regulate, teach, and repair with more compassion.
Who This Toolkit Is For
This free resource was created for:
What You’ll Learn
A Peek Inside the Toolkit
The Trauma-Informed Toolkit includes beautiful, easy-to-use visual guides you can save, print, or keep nearby when you need support.
You’ll receive practical pages on...
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JOYROOTS™ Trauma-Informed Framework
Six principles that can become daily habits: safety, trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and culture & equity. -
Understanding Big Feelings
A simple guide to help adults understand what children may be communicating through crying, tantrums, clinginess, refusal, or overwhelm. -
Serve and Return
A brain-building practice that reminds us how powerful small back-and-forth moments can be. -
Trauma-Informed Discipline Formula
A 4-step process: Connect → Regulate → Teach → Repair. -
Trauma-Informed De-Escalation Steps
A practical reminder for helping children feel safe, regulated, and ready to learn again. -
Strengthening Physical Safety
Simple classroom and home practices that reduce overwhelm and support regulation. -
Honoring Culture, Protecting Children
A reflection on carrying forward the parts of culture that protect love, identity, belonging, and peace.
Rooted in Community
This Toolkit supports families and educators through:
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Early care and education
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Culturally affirming support
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Community-centered learning
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Systems change in child development
2026 Trauma-Informed Initiative Funded by
Best Start Central Long Beach & First 5 LA
About
Meet Joy Green
Joy Green is the founder of The Joy I’ve Found, a movement dedicated to helping families, educators, caregivers, and communities heal through mindfulness, self-love, resilience, and trauma-informed care.
She is a trauma-informed education specialist, Chopra Center–trained meditation leader, transformational speaker, author, and community educator.
Through her workshops, resources, guided meditations, and caregiver support tools, Joy helps adults move from survival to connection, clarity, and joy — so they can better support themselves and the children in their care.
Her message is simple:
Healing begins with us.
Connection comes before correction.
And joy can be found again.
Download Your Free Trauma-Informed Toolkit
You do not have to figure this out alone.
This free toolkit was created to support you in real-life moments — the hard mornings, the classroom transitions, the big feelings, the meltdowns, the repair conversations, and the quiet moments when you wonder if you are doing enough.
You are.
Download the toolkit and keep it nearby as a reminder that healing happens through small, repeated moments of safety, connection, and care.
Get the Free Toolkit
Enter your name and email below to receive your free Trauma-Informed Toolkit from The Joy I’ve Found.
This resource was created to help you support children’s big feelings, strengthen connection, and bring more calm into your home, classroom, or caregiving space.
With Gratitude
The Trauma-Informed Early Educator & Parent Resilience Initiative was made possible through community-centered support from Best Start Central Long Beach and First 5 LA.
Although the first cohort experience has come to a close, the heart of the initiative continues through this free toolkit and future trauma-informed resources created for families, educators, caregivers, and community members.
The work continues.
The healing continues.
The community continues.
Want More Support?
If this toolkit speaks to the kind of support you want for your family, classroom, organization, or community, I would love to stay connected.
The Joy I’ve Found offers: