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Tip Sheet for Teachers (Pre-K through 12)

Supporting Children Who Have an Incarcerated Parent

http://www.YOUTH.gov/COIP

School staff make a difference in the lives of all children, 

including children of incarcerated parents. For the child 

with a parent in prison, a safe and supportive school can 

provide a caring, stable setting offering opportunities 

for educational, social, and emotional development. The 

bonds and relationships fostered at school with peers and 

trusted adults play a vital role in the child’s short and long 

term learning and maturation. 

1. Children with an incarcerated parents may be in your 

classroom. 2.7 million (or 1 in 28) children currently 

have an incarcerated parent. More than 10 million 

children have experienced parental incarceration at 

some point in their childhoods. Given these numbers, 

there may be a child in your classroom or school who 

has an incarcerated parent.1 Women are a fast growing 

part of the correctional population (the number of 

incarcerated women increased at nearly 1.5 times the 

rate of men between 1980 and 2010).2 If your student’s 

mother has been incarcerated, there is an increased 

likelihood of instability in that student’s home and an 

increased chance that student may enter foster care or 

have to move to another caregiver’s home (such as a 

grandparent).3

2. Having an incarcerated parent is recognized as an 

“adverse childhood experience” (ACE). Exposure to 

multiple ACEs significantly increases the likelihood 

of long-term negative behavioral and physical health 

outcomes.4 Adding to the trauma, many of these 

children have witnessed their parent’s arrest. One study 

of parents arrested indicated that 67% were handcuffed 

in front of their children, 27% reported weapons drawn 

in front of their children, and 4.3% reported a physical 

struggle.5 Although it is not always the case, trauma 

often affects a child’s physiological and emotional 

responses; ability to think, learn, and concentrate; 

impulse control; self-image; and relationships with 

others.

3. Children with a parent in prison may be subject to 

stereotypes and subconscious negative assumptions.

People sometimes assume children with an 

incarcerated parent will engage in criminal or negative 

activity like their parent. Be careful about making 

assumptions about behavior, motivation, academic 

ability, and potential. Research indicates that these 

assumptions, even when done subconsciously, can 

have detrimental impacts on educational outcomes.6 

Children who have an incarcerated parent, like any 

students, have great potential to learn and succeed 

in school when teachers support them and establish 

high expectations for them.7

4. Be sensitive to certain trigger issues. When having 

conversations about current events, crime, criminals, 

or the police, be mindful of how children with a 

parent who has been arrested or incarcerated may 

feel. Children love their parents, even if a parent 

did something illegal. Be careful about making 

statements about parental involvement because Dad 

may not be there to sign permission slips, or Mom 

may not be there to help with homework. Across all 

school settings, pay particular attention to children 

of incarcerated parents being bullied by peers, and 

help ensure that they are not subjected to biases or 

stereotypes.6

5. Be aware of what researchers call the “conspiracy 

of silence.”8 This conspiracy refers to the fact that 

many caregivers intentionally do not tell children 

that their parent is incarcerated, deciding instead to 

explain the absence by saying the parent is sick, away 

at work or college, or serving time in the military. For 

children who know their parent is incarcerated, their 

caregiver may have instructed them to not discuss 

the situation with anyone, for fear of the stigma and 

shame associated with incarceration. The child, 

too, may worry about people judging their parent. 

However, not understanding the situation or not being 

able to talk about it can also be a source of stress for 

children. Sometimes the silence around the situation 

can become an inadvertent cause of shame. It is 

important for teachers to understand this dynamic. 

If a teacher knows that a child has an incarcerated 

parent, the teacher should be careful not to discuss 

that information with the child unless confident the 

child has already been informed. If it appears the child 

understands the situation and would like to confide 

in someone, it is important for teachers to signal 

that they can be trusted, will not judge the parent 

or the child for loving their parent, and will keep the 

information the child chooses to disclose confidential.9

Five Things to Know About Children 

Who Have an Incarcerated Parent
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How Can Teachers Contribute to Positive Outcomes for Children Who 

Have an Incarcerated Parent?

Teachers can collaborate with the child’s other parent, 

family member, or caregiver to create a positive 

school setting for children of incarcerated parents. 

Collaboration may include:

•	 Sharing relevant information with caregivers 

concerning successes and struggles, as well as 

emotional and behavioral concerns; and

•	 Becoming aware of community organizations and 

services available to meet the specialized needs 

of children with a parent in prison, especially 

mental health resources.

Teachers can assist children who have an 

incarcerated parent in reaching their potential and 

achieving academic and social success by:

•	 Implementing behavioral and academic supports 

that enhance the teaching-learning process;

•	 Engaging in classroom methods and approaches 

that help students with an incarcerated parent 

increase their capacities to self-regulate 

behaviors and develop their academic promise;

•	 Challenging students with a parent in prison to 

do their very best academically by providing 

support and establishing and promoting high 

expectations for them; and

•	 Identifying areas of vulnerability and understanding 

that negative behaviors and absenteeism may be 

masking anxiety and depression, which can result 

from childhood trauma. 

Teachers can advocate for children with an 

incarcerated parent and educate their colleagues on 

ways to address the specific needs of students who 

have an incarcerated parent by:

•	 Establishing themselves as trusted and caring 

adults, serving as role models and challenging 

the stigma and shame that can be associated 

with parental incarceration;

•	 Working with other support/ancillary staff 

(i.e., art teacher, classroom aide, reading 

specialist, administrators) to provide one-on-one 

opportunities for students with a parent in prison 

to express feelings openly and freely through art, 

writing, or any other form of free expression. For 

example, the children could write a letter, draw a 

picture, or write a poem to share with their parent; 

•	 Collaborating with school-based mental health 

professionals (i.e., school psychologists, 

counselors, or social workers) who understand 

the developmentally-sensitive implications of 

parental incarceration and family stress on child 

well-being; and

•	 Asking librarians to offer books/pamphlets 

about parental incarceration and encourage ALL 

students to read them, rather than singling out 

students with an incarcerated parent.

REFERENCES

1 The Pew Charitable Trusts. (2010). Collateral Costs: Incarceration’s Effect on 

Economic Mobility. Washington, DC: The Pew Charitable Trusts.

2 Guerino, P., Harrison, P. M., & Sabol, W. (2011). Prisoners in 2010. Washington, 

D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

3 Glaze, L., & Maruschak, L. (2008). Parents in prison and their minor children. 

Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics. 

4 Felitti, V. J., et al. (1998). Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household 

Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults. American 

Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), pp 245-258. 

5 Phillips, S. D. (1998). Programming for children of female offenders. Proceedings 

from 4th National Head Start Research Conference. Washington, DC. 

Criminology and Public Policy, 5, 677–702. 

6 Dallaire, D. H. (2010). Teachers’ experiences with and expectations of children 

with incarcerated parents. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 

31(4), pp 281-290. 

7 Hinnant, J. B., O’Brien, M., & Ghazarian, S. R. (2009). The longitudinal relations 

of teacher expectations to achievement in the early school years. Journal of 

Educational Psychology, 101(3), pp 662-670.

8 Jose-Kampfner, C. (1995). Post-traumatic stress reactions in children of 

imprisoned mothers. In K. Gabel, & D. Johnston (Eds.) Children of 

Incarcerated Parents (pp 89-100). New York, NY: Lexington Books.

9 Hairston, C.F. (2007). Focus on the children with incarcerated parents: A 

overview of the research literature. Annie E. Casey Foundation.

RELATED RESOURCES FOR 

FURTHER READING

Children of Incarcerated Parents. Children of Incarcerated 

Parents Federal Website.

http://www.youth.gov/coip

Parents Behind Bars: Children of Incarcerated Family 

Members: An Educator and Caregiver’s Toolkit to 

Idaho’s Criminal Justice System. 

http://www.idoc.idaho.gov/content/story/top_news/

how_teachers_can_help_children_of_incarcerated_

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Supporting Students with Incarcerated Parents. Rossen, 

Eric. Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators. National Child 

Traumatic Stress Network. (Also available in Spanish.) 

http://www.nctsnet.org/resources/audiences/schoolpersonnel/trauma-toolkit

Top 10 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Children 

of Incarcerated Parents. Project AVARY (Alternative 

Ventures for At Risk Youth).

http://www.projectavary.org/resourcesforteachers.html

What Educators and Schools Need to Know When Working 

with Children with Incarcerated Parents.

http://www.spac.k12.pa.us