INDIANAPOLIS — At Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center, owner Cherelle Young is cleaning up after Sunday night's shooting at a Chuck E. Cheese.
Young, who works day in and day out with children, says events like this could have a last impact on their future.
“Children are wildly affected by the trauma they have to go through,” Young said.
Bright Beginnings is just a few buildings down from where the shooting took place. Young said the center's number one goal is to always make sure children are safe there.
But she's concerned by the potential for long-term consequences the event may have on the kids.
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“We are concerned about how this is going to affect them in the future and we definitely know that this is going to probably have some negative consequences on their brain and how they develop and how they grow,” Young said.
While Bright Beginnings and others continue to cope with Sunday's shootings, staff at social services nonprofit Brooke’s Place say one of the main things that children need in situations like these is an opportunity to express what they're feeling.
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“They are looking to their adults — to their caregivers — for comfort and reassurance, and for younger kids, drawing a picture may be easier than talking. And adults can ask about that drawing,” said Brooke's Place Executive Director Theresa Brun.
Brooke’s Place provides grief support for those who have experienced a death of a loved one.
“To respect their feelings realizing that whether its grief or a traumatic event, children handle that very differently than adults do,” Brun said.
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Brun said one of the most important things for kids who experience trauma is opportunities to communicate.
“For example, if a child tells their parent, 'I’m scared,' the parent's response could be, for example, 'I hear you say that you are scared I wonder if you want to share more about that,'” Brun said.
If you or a loved one are going through a traumatic event and need help you can contact Brooke's Place here.
