1. Rock Solid Foundations: Promoting the Social & Emotional Competence of Young Children & Preventing Challenging Behaviors: Responsive Environment & Routines
NOTES TO INSTRUCTOR:
Script and instructor notes are included on each slide.
Handouts and videos are labeled with ‘IT’ if from an Infant Toddler module and ‘P’ if from a Preschool module.
3. Although the videos are embedded in this presentation throughout, you must double check them to ensure that they are compatible to your computer. Also a technology consideration is to play within the presentation, the videos must be in the same folder in which the PP is located in order to effectively play. In case you have to reinsert the videos for compatibility purposes, they can be found in the Instructors Resources section under Rock Solid Foundations in both mpg and mp4 formats.
You may choose to insert your name, contact, date, etc. on this slide. Remember to add your own pictures to enhance the points on the slide and engage participants in the topic.
Welcome! I’m so glad that all of you decided to join us today to learn more about Rock Solid Foundations: Promoting the Social and Emotional Competence of Young Children. This training utilizes The Pyramid Model, research based strategies and resources from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning (CSEFEL), focusing on the social emotional development and school readiness of young children. I’m sure that everyone here would agree that promoting children’s social and emotional competence and preventing and addressing challenging behaviors is an important topic that touches every early care and education program and every classroom across the country.

2. Introductions Your name, program. What is your role?
What will you do with the information you will learn today?
INSERT PICTURE OF
STATE WHERE DOING
TRAINING
First introduce yourself and provide a description of your experiences and the training you received on the CSEFEL modules.
Ask participants to introduce themselves. If you have time, each person can introduce themselves or if time is limited or the group is too large, you can ask them to either introduce themselves to others at their table or get up and find someone they don’t already know and introduce themselves.
(put a ClipArt pic of the state your are working in)

3. CYTTAP
Show 3-minute video which will help illustrate the scope of the Childcare and Youth Training and Technical Assistance project. You will need to download the 3 minute video from the CYTTAP website under the Instructor Resources for Rock Solid Foundations. The video is labeled: Military Extension Partnership Video. Participants may contact Dr. Kathleen Lodl or Dr. Tonia Durden for further information or inquiries about the project.
Allison Silberber, 2007

4. Promote Children’s Success
Create an environment where EVERY child feels good about coming to school
Design an environment that promotes child engagement
Focus on teaching children what To Do!
Teach expectations and routines
Teach skills that children can use in place of challenging behaviors
We know that supporting children’s social and emotional development is key to school readiness and overall healthy growth and development. Today we are going to introduce several evidence-based practices and resources taken from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning (CSEFEL).
Our discussions will include infants, toddlers, and preschool age children. If you currently care for only one of these age groups you will benefit from learning about the entire birth to five developmental spectrum. You will then understand what your children have already achieved and what lies ahead.
Although this is a six hour training, we intend to continue to provide you with online support as you implement these strategies and practices in your center or home. We’ll begin with exploring how to promote children’s success.
Ask participants to name some ways to support children’s social and emotional development then go over the three bullet points.

5. CSEFEL Pyramid Model Introduce the CSEFEL Pyramid.
Along with learning about infant, toddler and preschool development and how to understand individual children, this session will offer strategies for:
creating group care environments and practices that support social emotional well-being of infants, toddlers and preschoolers;
working with families to support the well being of very young children;
problem-solving when behavior is of concern.
In order to understand and respond effectively to behavior that center and family care providers, home visitors, and other professionals and parents experience as challenging, we all need to understand how typical social emotional development unfolds during the first five years.
We also need to spend some time examining our own emotions and responses when children’s behavior is unusual and persists despite our best efforts. The definition of challenging situations or behavior may be different for different caregivers and we will explore that issue.
There are a number of strategies that can be used to support the social emotional development or competence of very young children. The Pyramid is a model that represents components of adult behavior and strategies that parents, caregivers, teachers and other professionals can use to assist children in developing social emotional competence.
The primary focus of the Pyramid is on promotion of social emotional development and prevention of challenging behaviors for all children, moving on to individualized interventions only when the bottom of the Pyramid is in place and children continue to engage in challenging behavior.
Strong relationships form the foundation of the Pyramid and are necessary for everything else we do with young children.
Well designed environments support children’s appropriate behaviors and make it less likely that children will need to engage in challenging behavior. In addition, environments can be designed to help children learn about expectations and promote their engagement and interactions.
The emphasis of this session is on the blue and green levels of the Pyramid.

6. Definitions, Research and Rationale
The primary goals of the CSEFEL materials are to promote young children’s social and emotional development and to prevent and address challenging behaviors. Before we get into the materials, it will be helpful to discuss definitions for these terms as well as discuss developmental milestones for young children’s social and emotional development.

7. CSEFEL Definition of Social Emotional Development
The term social emotional development refers to the developing capacity of the child from birth through five years of age to form close and secure adult and peer relationships; experience, regulate, and express emotions in socially and culturally appropriate ways; and explore the environment and learn - all in the context of family, community, and culture.
Caregivers promote healthy development by working to support social emotional wellness in all young children, and make every effort to prevent the occurrence or escalation of social emotional problems in children at-risk, identifying and working to remediate problems that surface, and, when necessary, referring children and their families to appropriate services.
Adapted from ZERO TO THREE, 2001
HANDOUT: IT 1.2
For the purposes of this training, we will use the CSEFEL definition of social emotional development for children birth through five years on this slide and your handout.
Ask the participants to read the definition and underline key points as they think about the children in their care.
Lead a discussion by asking participants for their ideas about what each of the phrases means.
You may want to use some of the following ideas:
“Developing capacity” – Children grow and change quickly, gaining more skills in all areas of development: physical, cognitive, and social emotional. Think about the different abilities of a newborn, a 1 year old, 2 year old, 3 year old, 4 year old, and 5 year old.
“Form close and secure adult and peer relationships” – Young children require nurturing relationships with adult caregivers for healthy social emotional development. When adults are loving, responsive and consistent in their care, very young children learn that they are valued and that their world is primarily satisfying and predictable. They learn through these relationships how to interact with their peers. In the first few years they require a lot of support in managing peer relationships.
“Experience, regulate, and express emotions in socially and culturally appropriate ways” – Joy, sadness, and frustration are just some of the emotions that all children experience during their first years. Infants and toddlers watch important adults to figure out how they should feel and act in certain situations. With adult help, they increasingly learn how to control or regulate their emotions so that they don’t get overwhelmed by them. The family’s culture affects the way in which parents interact with their very young children as their values, beliefs, goals, expectations, and resources are expressed in their child-rearing practices.
“All in the context of family, community, and culture” – Young children first learn about relationships and feelings as part of a family. As was just mentioned, culture influences the relationship between children and caregiving adults. Communities, too, play a role in shaping how adults and children interact and how they are supported (or not) through public policies and the availability of resources.
The primary focus will be on developing relationships. One of our most important roles in supporting positive social emotional development with young children is to establish nurturing and trusting relationships. It is through these relationships that infants and toddlers learn about their world and their place in it. They learn that the world is safe and responsive to their needs. They learn to form satisfying relationships with others, to communicate, to face challenges, and to experience and regulate their emotions.
Since relationships are constantly adjusting to changes in development, we need to understand the course of social emotional development. Building positive relationships with both children and parents is essential for a child’s healthy development. Young children observe our relationships and what they observe shapes their expectations for how people treat each other. Relationships are established with each individual child and family and, therefore, look somewhat different with each. Those of us who provide care to young children and their families build our skills in carefully observing the social emotional cues provided to us by the children in order to respond to them with interactions that build responsive, nurturing relationships.

8. What is Social-Emotional Development?
The developmentally and culturally appropriate ability to:
Manage Emotions
Relate to Adults
Relate to Peers
Feel Good About Self
Source: Jane Knitzer, NCCP
If time permits complete this activity as well.
Share with participants that this definition plays out in many ways. Ask participants to work together to write down things/strategies/activities/ideas that they do to promote children’s social and emotional development in each of the four areas (i.e., manage emotions, relate to adults, relate to peers, and feel good about self.) If needed you can provide an example in each area. This activity gives them a chance to acknowledge the great work they are doing and to hear new ideas from other participants and yourself.
Have them talk in pairs or small groups, jot down their ideas, and then report out. You could have one piece of large chart paper for each area, OR just have each group share 2 of their favorite ideas, etc.
There are many variations of all of the activities. When you are making decisions about how to do an activity take into consideration how much time you have, the understanding level of your participants (you may be aware that your group REALLY needs to spend time on a certain topic), and the engagement of your participants in the topic at hand.
Return to this activity or the wall charts at the end of the day--- do participants have more ideas/strategies to add to the list?

9. Understanding the Importance of Schedules, Routines, and Environments on Young Children’s Social & Emotional Development
Share with participants that we will discuss how to support young children’s social and emotional development through the schedules, routines, and environments that we create for them while they are in our care.
Explain that the next things you will be talking about are related to creating supportive environments. Although they may not be new concepts to people, explain that participants should be thinking about these issues in terms of how they relate to preventing challenging behavior and promoting social emotional development. Remember, you are looking at these through a different lens—the social emotional competence and challenging behavior lens. TIP: For some groups, this material will be a review of information they already know. If you know your audience is highly skilled, consider presenting this in an alternative way. Rather than walking through each slide, do an activity in which you encourage participants to think about how each practice is related to promoting social behavior or preventing challenging behavior. Divide the participants into small groups (four-six people). Assign each group a set of practices (e.g., designing learning centers, schedules, and routines). Have them discuss how those practices support children’s social emotional development and prevent challenging behavior. Have them identify practical examples of how they could implement these practices specifically to focus on social behavior (e.g., to prevent challenging behavior during transitions, use a buddy system where less skilled peers are paired with highly skilled peers).

10. Responsive Routines & Schedules for Infants & Toddlers
Make the point that our observations of the behavior of infants, toddlers or young children allow us to better understand how they are getting along and what kinds of experiences will support their development. Observations are particularly useful when we are focused on making the most of the opportunities to build nurturing and responsive relationships. Responsive caregivers use every opportunity to “get in tune” with the infant or toddler. Being “in tune” is another way to talk about responsive care that is based on following the infant’s cues. Matching the infant’s or toddler’s mood and pace of activity is an example of getting in tune.
A caregiver might move in a very slow gentle way and speak in a soft voice with a toddler just rousing from a deep sleep as she picks him up and moves to the diaper table. She might move more quickly, use a higher, louder, more upbeat voice with that same toddler if he was already wide awake and was jumping on his bed.
B. Make the point that as we think about the needs and behavior of infants and toddlers over the course of a day, it is important to think about the role of schedules and routines in supporting social emotional development. Responsive routines and schedules are ones that are designed with close attention to the developmental needs of all children in the setting and are adapted to the needs of individual children. If we were talking about a schedule and routines for an individual child in a home setting we would use the same principles and supports with a parent to design a routine based on the needs of the home and the needs of an individual child.

11. How Schedules and Routines Support Social Emotional Development
They are an important part of each day
They meet children’s basic needs
They provide opportunities for learning and development
They help develop a sense of security and control
They provide predictability
They support competence and confidence
1. Make the point that for infants and toddlers, routines that arise from their care are the foundations of the curriculum. By care, we mean such activities as feeding, diapering or toileting, the things we do to move infants and toddlers from wake to sleep and vice versa, the ways we greet them and their families in the mornings and say goodbye in the evenings, and the things we do in transitions to and from one activity to another. By routines, we mean the regular and repeated things we do and the way we do them day by day.
2. When we talk about schedules, we tend to mean what time we do something. Generally with infants and toddlers, the time is not really the issue, but rather the sequence or order for the routines of care. It is more important for the very young child that we engage in the major care activities in a regular order than it is that we try to keep to a time schedule.
3. Make the point that babies and toddlers learn about people and the way the world works through their daily routines. What people say, what they do, how they say what they say and how they do what they do – all of this is the curriculum.
4. Make the point that while for very young infants individualization is the name of the game, older infants and toddlers benefit from flexible routines and schedules. Routines and schedules create predictability and help older infants and toddlers organize themselves around what is coming next. Predictable routines, provided in the same way by the same people, give infants and toddlers a sense of control and a sense of security. This sense of security allows them to relax and to explore and learn from their environment. Provide an example of the need humans tend to have for predictability: For example, “Just think about yourself today. If this is the second time you have attended the CSEFEL training, aren’t you a little more relaxed now that you know what to expect? You notice that we provide an agenda and a predictable style of presentation. If you feel more relaxed, it may be because you feel more secure and have some sense of what’s coming next. Perhaps today you will notice something different from what you did the last time and your learning will expand. Your ability to relax will affect what you can take in.”

12. Activity Responsive Routines Inventory Handout : I/T 2.4
Handout: I/T 2.4 Tell the group that this is an opportunity to think more about routines of daily care for infants and toddlers and to look for ways to support the social emotional development of each child. Ask participants to either work individually or in teams to complete the inventory. Talk through some examples of how they can think about adapting the inventory to make it more appropriate for their setting.
Handout : I/T 2.4

13. Routines - Eating
After about 10 minutes (or when everyone appears to be done) go through each section of the inventory. Go through this and the following slides for each section on the inventory. In each section discuss what they felt they were doing well and what they would like to improve upon. Throughout this and the next three slides continue to discuss the importance of taking advantage of routines.
A child’s ability to predict what will happen next and how he will be treated will lead to greater security. He will be freer to use his energies to explore his environment and learn, which in turn, leads to a sense of competence and feelings of confidence about his ability to be successful in his world. On the other hand, a child who is in a setting where adults do things suddenly, don’t provide some advance warning about what’s coming next, or who don’t work to try to match their care to what they see the child is experiencing, finds it more difficult to be prepared for what comes next.

14. Routines - Diapering

15. Routines – Sleeping/Resting

16. Routines – Greetings/Goodbyes
Responsive routines and schedules are used by caregivers to enhance the quality of the relationship between the infant and the adult caregiver. This means that the sensitive caregiver uses her presence – her voice, eye contact, her physical proximity or nearness to the child, and her touch—to provide security and to assure the baby that the world is a safe and interesting place.

17. Video IT Clip 2.2 To illustrate a responsive greeting of a 15-month-old child and his parents. Ask participants to comment on what they see this caregiver doing to make the morning transition easier. Elicit from participants both what she does and how she does it, including the following points:
• The caregiver stops what she is doing and greets the child by name.
• She elicits information about how his morning has been so far.
• She expresses interest in what he has experienced since she last saw him and asks additional questions of his parents to clarify. She helps him say goodbye when his parents leave.
• Through these things, she lets his parents know that she has a genuine interest in their little boy.
I/T
I/T

18. Schedules and Routines
In Preschool Settings
Develop a schedule that promotes child
engagement and success
Balance activities:
- active and quiet
- small group and large group
- teacher-directed and child-directed
Teach children the schedule
Establish a routine and follow it consistently
When changes are necessary, prepare
children ahead of time
In this section, we cover many topics. While they are all important, you will need to determine how much time to spend on each topic based on the needs and skills of your audience.
Schedules, Routines, and Transitions
Talk about how schedules should be designed to promote child engagement. As we have talked about earlier, when children are engaged with a material, a peer, or an adult, they are less likely to be engaged in challenging behavior. Some of the things that will keep them engaged are:
Balancing the activities so there is a mix of small group and large group activities and a mix of teacher-directed and child-directed activities.
Teaching children the routine: We can’t expect children to follow the routine if we don’t teach it to them. Schedules and routines provide some security and a sense of what comes next; children are able to anticipate what will happen, and thus feel more secure. This is especially important for children whose primary language differs from that spoken in the classroom.
Talk about different ways you can teach children to follow routines or schedules.
Teach it during circle using visual cues that all children understand.
Reinforce children as they go through the schedule of the day.
Provide individual instruction to children who need more assistance, and use individualized picture cues.
Be consistent with your schedule and routines. Children will be more likely to learn to follow a schedule if it is implemented consistently.
Post your schedule visually, and refer to it frequently throughout the day so children learn what will happen next.
When changes are necessary, prepare children for those changes.
You can prepare children by making announcements at opening circle, using visual prompts on a posted schedule indicating a change (e.g., a stop sign on top of an activity that is not going to happen as planned), and reminding children about the changes as often as possible. For some children with disabilities (e.g., autism), changes in the schedule or routine can be a trigger for challenging behaviors.
Show the next several slides of various types of schedules.

19. Teach with Visual Schedules
We have several slides with examples of visual schedules.
Review these. Ask if anyone is using visual schedules, what is it like, etc.
Use photos of your children in your home, along with the written word.
This schedule is on train cars.

20. Daily Schedule

21. Each person will want to create their own schedule using photos of their children in their care.

22. Using pocket page protectors and magnet strips.

23. Activity Using Visual Schedules
1. You say it’s time for circle. One little boy roams away from circle. When you try to guide him to circle, he drops to the ground and will not budge.
How can you use your visual schedule to teach?
Group Activity: As a large group, read these slides and discuss solutions for each vignette. Depending on the amount of time you have for this section – you may choose to assign one of these to each table, etc.

24. Activity Using Visual Schedules
2. You announce that it’s time for centers and a girl runs to go out the door yelling “No! Play out!”
How can you use your visual schedule to teach?
What else might you be able to use to teach?

25. Activity Using Visual Schedules
3. A child goes to play with her favorite train. When you go over to her and tell her it’s time for snack she starts screaming and throwing train pieces.
How can you use your visual schedule to teach?
What else might you be able to do/use to teach? 25

26. Activity Using Visual Schedules
4. A new little boy arrives in your classroom and he is very scared. When Mommy says bye, he screams, cries, pulls on her leg, and tries to climb up Mommy’s body.
How can you use your visual schedule to teach?

27. Transitions for Preschool-age
Plan for transitions
Minimize the number of transitions that children have during the day
Minimize the length of time children spend waiting with nothing to do
Prepare children for transitions by providing a warning
Structure the transitions so that children have something to do while they wait
Teach children the expectations related to transitions.
Individualize supports and cues
Another issue that is closely related to schedules and routines is transition. Challenging behaviors often occur during transitions, especially when all children are expected to do the same thing at the same time and then end up waiting with nothing to do. We know from research that children often spend a significant proportion of their preschool day making transitions between activities.
So, our goal should be to:
Minimize the number of transitions that children have during the day.
Plan transitions so that there is a minimal amount of time spent in transition and that children are highly engaged during the transition.
Give children a warning before a transition occurs.
Minimize those transitions during which every child has to do the same thing at the same time (Does every child have to go to the bathroom at the same time? Could snack be part of center time?). Structure the transition so that children have something to do while they are waiting (e.g., finger plays, songs, guessing games). Provide some children with chores, and give children helping roles during transitions (e.g., handing out the paper towels, holding the door, helping a friend).
Teach children about the expectations for transitions. This instruction can occur during a group time and should be reinforced throughout the day.

28. Show Video Clip 1. 2 of Transitions to Centers
Show Video Clip 1.2 of Transitions to Centers. Discuss what was observed.
Individualize the instruction and cues provided to children. Some children will make the transition with a minimal amount of support, while others may need a picture schedule, verbal prompt, adult assistance, or some other type of cue. PS

29. Show Video Clip 1.3 of Providing Individualized Transition Cues to Gabby. Discuss what was observed. What did the teacher do to assist Gabby in changing locations? What other strategies can you use to assist students like Gabby in changing locations?
It is important to provide visual cues and reminders for young children—especially young children with special needs and children for whom English is their second language. Visual cues and reminders are useful to help children learn the routines of the classroom, to help them learn the expectations or “classroom rules,” to help children anticipate making transitions between activities, and to assist children in knowing what to do during these transitions.
As adults, we use visual cues constantly. For example, (1) we look at our watches or the clock to see when a boring meeting will end or when it is time for lunch; (2) when we go into a new building, we look at signs to find places we need to go such as the elevator, restroom, or location of a conference room; and (3) when we go to vote, we look at the visual directions provided to see how to use the voting machine (and we pray that it will work!). PS 29

30. Transition with Visual and Timer
Show multiple examples of visual reminders for transitions (e.g., preparing Brendan using a timer; transitions with visuals, and choices).
You can also bring examples of actual posters, signs, etc., that teachers use in their classrooms.
Ask participants for suggestions of visual supports or reminders that they have used in their own setting.

31. Transition with Visual

32. Transition with Visual Choice

33. Individual Transition Schedule
First
Then

34. Responsive Infant/Toddler Environments
Caregivers are the ones responsible for setting up the physical space, choosing activities and play things and engaging in the interactions that make up the learning experiences for infants and toddlers.
Ask participants to reflect on the following ideas:
Caregivers decide what babies see, touch, and hear. They make decisions about how much fresh air, sunlight, and exercise the baby will have. Responsive Environments. Caregivers of infants and toddlers create the physical spaces, choose toys and other materials and provide the interactions that make up their learning experiences.

35. A Well Designed Infant-Toddler Environment
Supports the social emotional needs of infants and toddlers as well as their language, cognitive, and motor development
Encourages responsive care from adults
Supports peer relationships
Is developmentally appropriate
age appropriate
individually appropriate
culturally appropriate
Other ideas?
Make the point that a well-designed infant-toddler physical environment can have a major impact not only on children’s social emotional development but also on their language, cognitive and motor development. Go through each of these main points and discuss with participants why each are important and what this might look like. For example, the environment can be set up to support peer relationships by including toys and materials that need to be used by more than two children.

36. Infant/Toddler Environments
Discuss how the environment meets the four criteria.
Ask participants to look at this environment (and those in the next three slides) and discuss how (and if) this environment meets the criteria listed in the previous slide.
Grossmont College Child Development Center Courtesy of Harvest Resources

37. Infant/Toddler Environment
This is a family group home. How does it (or does it) meet the four criteria.

38. Infant/Toddler Environment
What about this environment?

39. Infant and Toddler Environments
Planning Document
Handout: I/T 2.5 Go over the content of the planning document discussing the support that each space and its components provide to the social emotional development of infants and toddlers. Use the criteria just discussed to explain how the components support a quality care environment.
Ask participants to work with another person at their table to discuss the potential improvements to the environment that their program provides for infants and toddlers.
Give participants about 20 minutes to do the environment evaluation and planning. Some of the group may not have time to complete the evaluation or plan. Suggest that this tool may be finished later and may be useful in their own work settings.
Bring the large group back together and ask if anyone came up with a take home idea that they might add to their environment to make it more responsive to the needs of infants and toddlers or that might be particularly helpful in addressing a behavior difficulty evolving from a limitation in their infant or toddler environment such as needing a soft space away from active play so toddlers aren’t as likely to “run over” infants.
Handout I/T 2.5

40. When designing supportive environments for preschool-aged children - think about…
1. Physical environment
2. Large and small group activities
3. Directions
4. Classroom rules and expectations
5. Positive attention
6. Descriptive feedback and encouragement
… how can each child be successful?
Designing the Physical Environment
When we consider the design of the physical environment, we are trying to do two things: promote engagement and prevent challenging behavior. Let participants know that we will next discuss these 6 topics in our efforts to reflect on our environment to ensure that each child can be successful.

41. 1. Physical Environment Classroom Arrangement
and Design: Traffic Patterns
Minimize large open spaces
Minimize obstacles and other hazards
Consider the needs of children with physical and sensory disabilities
We will talk about two sets of strategies related to the physical design of the environment: traffic patterns and designing learning centers.
Review the following major issues about traffic patterns:
Minimize large open spaces in which children can run, etc.
Minimize obstacles.
Consider environmental arrangement as it applies to children with physical or sensory (e.g., blindness) disabilities.

42. Classroom Arrangement and Design:
Learning Centers
Physical
Clear boundaries
Organization of materials
Visibility
Adequate number of centers
Preparation of centers
Size and location of centers
Visual prompts when centers are not an option
Number of children in centers
Then talk about how a lot of strategies related to learning centers will increase the likelihood of children being engaged and decrease the likelihood of challenging behaviors occurring.
Talk about two aspects of planning learning centers—the physical design and the actual content of the materials and activities that occur in each center.
Review the following major issues about the physical design of learning centers:
Have clear boundaries so that children know where the center begins/ends, and so that children are not crowded together.
Make sure that all children are visible to adults and that adults are visible to children.
When learning centers are closed for some reason, indicate that the centers are closed by using visual prompts such as sheets or blankets, circles with a slash through them, etc.
Have enough centers for the number of children in your care and enough materials within the centers so that children are engaged and not continually arguing over materials.
Consider the size of centers and the location of centers. For example, it is best to avoid having a center that is likely to have a high level of activity in it (e.g., block center, dramatic play) located close to a center where the teacher wants quieter activities (e.g., listening centers, computer, etc.) to occur.
Use developmentally appropriate and creative ways to limit the number of children in centers if this is necessary (e.g., laminated cards containing children’s names that can be moved into pockets at the center as opposed to a sign saying “2 children only”).
Organize materials and keep them in appropriate places, taking into consideration children’s development of independence skills.
Have centers organized and ready to go when children arrive.

43. Classroom Arrangement and Design:
Learning Centers
Create meaningful and engaging learning centers
Relevant to children’s needs,
interests, and lives
Highly engaging and interesting
Variety of materials in each center
Changed and rotated on a regular basis
Creating Meaningful and Engaging Learning Areas. Learning centers need to be meaningful, engaging, and interesting to children.
Materials within centers need to be meaningful and relevant to children’s needs, interests, and lives (e.g., within the dramatic play area, materials that are culturally appropriate should be available; the pictures on puzzles and in the classroom library should reflect the diversity within your community, etc.). There should be culturally meaningful activities and materials (e.g., within the typical water table, you can alternate materials that have a similar consistency such as beans, rice, pasta, and potatoes). Also, consider using labels in multiple languages around the classroom.
Centers need to be highly engaging and interesting to children. Build on children’s interests by including materials and activities that children enjoy or express an interest in. If children all tend to stay in one or two centers, that would suggest that the other centers are not engaging or interesting to children.
Provide a variety of materials in each center. For example, related books can be put in every center (e.g., books on animals can be placed in the reading center; magazines can be placed in the dramatic play area that is designed as a veterinarian’s office; a book about the post office can be placed in the writing center). Writing utensils and paper also can be in a variety of centers (e.g., in the dramatic play area, the writing center, or near the computers). Be creative.
Change the materials or themes in centers on a regular basis. The post office set up in the dramatic play area might be interesting and engaging at the beginning of the year but will be old and uninteresting if it is still there in the spring. Listen to what children are talking about. Create centers that build on their interests. Rotate materials within a center so that the same materials are not out all year. Let children help you choose the materials.

44. Create Meaningful &Engaging Learning Centers
Stand in center of the room
Is there a clear entry to each center?
Is each center inviting?
Are there enough materials (3 units of play per child allowed in center)?
Is there a system in place for entering and exiting centers?
Are centers & materials/shelves labeled?
Is there a rotation of materials?
Are materials highly engaging?
Are the activities relevant to children’s needs, interests and lives?

45. Let’s discuss how of the areas in the next slides could be improved.

47. 2. Engaging Group Activities
Planning the activity
Consider the length
Be clear about the purpose and goals of the
activities
Use circle time to teach new things
Implementing the activity
Provide opportunities for all children to be actively involved
Assign jobs to children
Vary your speech and intonation patterns
Have children lead activities
Pay attention to children’s behavior
Planning Activities that Promote Engagement; Large and Small Group Time
As we talked about above, one of the keys to preventing challenging behavior is to ensure that children are engaged with activities, peers, or adults. We have already talked about how to build relationships with children on an individual basis. Adults should also plan activities in ways that will promote engagement. There are two keys to this: (1) use both small and large group activities, and (2) ensure that activities are designed and adapted so that all children can participate in a meaningful way.
Large Group Activities. One of the common problems that teachers have is challenging behavior during large group activities. It is difficult to keep all children interested throughout circle time. Give participants some suggestions about how they can increase the likelihood that all children will be engaged This can be talked about in two parts.
Planning the activity
Consider the length of time needed for circle time relative to the children’s ages and abilities and to the types of activities that will occur during the large group time.
Have a purpose and be clear about what it is you want children to learn during this time.
Don’t do exactly the same thing every day. For example, you can teach concepts during large group in a variety of ways (e.g., puppets, role play, stories, songs, visual aids, discussion). Vary these activities from day to day. You might also do repeated reading of the same story for several days but use puppets on the first day, a flannel board on the second day, and have children role play the story on the third day.
Don’t just do circle to do circle, but use it as a time to teach new concepts. This is an especially good time to teach social skills and to support children’s emotional development. Explain that we will be talking about this point later.
Implementing the activity
Make sure all children have opportunities to be involved (e.g., everyone holds a character from the story, children do things with partners).
Assign jobs for children who have a particularly difficult time during circle (e.g., book holder, page turner).
Vary the way you talk and the intonation of your voice.
Have children help lead activities.
Pay attention to children’s appropriate behavior, as well as the function of their behavior; remember that if they are wiggling and wandering away, the activity is probably not interesting to them.

48. PS Show two video segments of Circle Time (Video Clip PS 1.4).
Have participants discuss with other participants at their table the following questions after they watch the videotaped segments. Are the children engaged? What tells you that they are or are not engaged? Describe what the teacher is doing currently and what she might do to support the children’s engagement in the activity. What other strategies could the teacher do to keep the children even more engaged in either video clip?
Point out things such as the teacher sitting in a chair “above” the children rather than on their level, no props (e.g., photos, manipulatives, etc.) are used that could help engage children, etc. PS

49. Small Group Activities
Importance of small group activities
Skill building
Individualized attention
Planning and implementing
Be clear about the goal
Use peers as models
Ensure participation by all children
Make them fun
Provide feedback throughout
Small Group Activities. Discuss the importance of using small group activities both in terms of giving more individualized time to children and as an opportunity for skill building. Then talk about how to implement small group activities effectively.
Talk about being clear about the purpose and outcomes of the activity. What is it you want children to learn, and are you structuring the activity so that it meets the needs of all of the children involved? Although small group activities are often more teacher directed, they do not have to be didactic. They can involve games, stories, discussion, projects, etc.
Small groups also provide a great opportunity to use peers as models. One peer can model a skill or behavior you are trying to teach another child.
It is important to ensure that all children participate in a way that is meaningful and relevant to their goals and needs.
Provide descriptive feedback related to appropriate behavior to children throughout the activity.

50. 3. Giving Directions
Develop picture cards of directions to give to children
Make sure you have the children’s attention before you give directions
Minimize the number of directions given to children
Individualize the way directions are given
Give clear directions
Giving Directions
Research has shown that preschool children have high rates of not following teacher directions. While this might be because of the child’s characteristics, it might also be because of the way teachers give directions. Directions that are stated negatively (“why haven’t you put up the toys”) or directions that are stated as questions (“can you help me put up the toys?”) may confuse children or make them less likely to follow the direction. Here are some strategies that can be used to increase the likelihood that children will follow teacher directions.
Make sure you have the child’s attention before you give the direction. Many times, the child may not even hear the direction or realize the direction is being given to him. The teacher can begin a direction to the whole class by saying, “I need everyone to listen” or the teacher can begin a direction to an individual child by tapping him on the shoulder or saying his name.
Minimize the number of directions given to children. Research shows that teachers give a very high number of directions to children, many of which teachers they do not follow through with. It is important to give only directions that you want the child to comply with, give directions in a positive way that tells the child specifically what to do, and give the child time to respond before giving another direction. Also, it is important to follow through if the child does not follow the direction.
Individualize the way directions are given. Some children may respond well to verbal direction, while others may need physical prompts or pictorial prompts to follow the direction.
Give clear directions. Tell the child exactly what you want her to do. Avoid directions that are vague such as “be careful” or “settle down.” These directions could be substituted with “hold on to the railing” or “sit quietly.”

51. Giving Directions Give directions that are positive
Give children the opportunity to respond to a direction
When appropriate, give the child choices and options for following directions
Follow through with positive acknowledgment of children’s behavior
Give directions that are positive. Maintain a positive tone when you give directions.
Give children the opportunity to respond to a direction. Avoid giving multiple directions at one time without giving the child a chance to respond and without acknowledging the child for responding.
When appropriate, give the child choices and options for following directions. Sometimes it is important that children follow a direction in a specific way; but other times, it is ok to give the child some options. For example, during a transition time, the teacher might say “you need to sit quietly, you can get either a book or you can draw a picture.”
Follow through with positive acknowledgment of children’s behavior. It is important that children understand when they are following directions.

52. Hand Washing Directions
Using Clip Art
Washing Hands 1 2 3 4 5
Wet hands
Get soap
Wash hands
Dry hands
Throw away

53. 1. Turn on water.
2. Wet hands.
3. Get soap.
4. Rinse hands.

54. 4. General Guidelines about Rules/Expectations
Have a few simple classroom rules
Involve the children in developing the rules
Post the rules visually
Teach the rules systematically
Reinforce the rules at high rates initially and at lower rates throughout the year
Teaching Children Classroom Rules
Emphasize that preschool settings need to have a few simple rules.
Ask participants why having rules is important.
Describe how there are general guidelines about rules, and ask participants to share what they think these guidelines are (e.g., stated positively, fewer than five, developmentally appropriate, posted visually, clear and concise).
Ask participants why it is a good idea to have children involved in developing rules (e.g., they will understand them better, provides ownership, builds a learning opportunity, etc.).
Discuss what general behaviors or topics rules should address (e.g., noise level; movement; interactions with adults, children, and materials)
Talk about how you can’t expect children to follow the rules without teaching them.
Explain how rules can be taught during circle time and reinforced in ongoing contexts.
As you are teaching rules, you can connect them to children’s ongoing behavior (e.g., “Who has been a super friend; tell me what you did?” “Yes, I saw Corinne sharing the glue with Ed at the art table”).

55. Involving Children in Developing the Rules
Have children help generate the
rules
Name the rule and have a child
demonstrate the rule
Name the rule and have the children identify the visuals that might go on a poster
Have children help decorate a
rules poster
Present some ways to have children involved in developing the rules.
For example, Children can be involved in generating classroom rules (it will be important that teachers have had some time to reinforce at high rates those behaviors they would like to see so that children have an idea of what the classroom expectations are).
Children can help decide what visuals to put on posters around the room to help remind themselves of classroom rules.
Children can decorate a rules poster.
Show the next few slides which are examples of rules.

58. PS Video Clip PS 1.5: Stop/Go Teaching Rules.
Introduce this segment by telling participants that the segment shows a group activity in which children were beginning to learn the classroom rules or expectations. This is an activity that took place in a classroom with 20 children and 2 adults. Ask participants to think about how they might use this activity in their family group care setting.
After viewing the segment, ask participants if the rules were stated positively and are developmentally appropriate; (Did they meet the guidelines just discussed? What are the strengths of this group activity? How might you adapt an activity like this for your particular needs? How does this activity help children learn rules? What other materials can you use? How can you modify this activity to support students with disabilities? Second-language learners?) PS

59. Develop or Review Your Rules
Work together to develop a list of three to five rules for your setting
If you have rules already, list them and check them against the criteria
Brainstorm some fun ways you can remind and reinforce the rules in your setting
Rules Activity
Have small groups work to develop a list of three to five rules for their setting.
If they have rules already, have them list them and check them against the criteria.
Ask participants to brainstorm some fun ways they can remind and reinforce the rules in the setting. List these on flip chart paper.
Present additional ideas to reinforce classroom rules.
Rules Bingo: Put symbols of rules on bingo cards and have children play bingo.
Big Book of School Rules: Using large pieces of paper, children can help make pictures and pages about each rule, laminate the pages, and turn the pages into a big book.
Home Rules: Children draw a picture of their home and take it home with them with some blank circles. Children and parents write their home rules on the circles, tape them to the picture of their home, and send it back to school.
Rules Charades: Have a child model a rule, and have the other children guess what rule they are modeling.

60. 5. Ongoing Monitoring and Positive Attention
Give children attention when they are engaging in appropriate behaviors
Monitor our behavior to ensure that we are spending more time using positive descriptive language and less time giving directions or correcting inappropriate behavior
Ongoing Monitoring and Positive Attention
This slide presents the idea of “catching children being good.” There are two important issues here.
Give children attention (e.g., verbal, nonverbal) when they are engaging in appropriate behaviors. Too often, we leave children alone when they are playing quietly or when things are going along smoothly in our early childhood settings. Provide feedback for the effort, thinking, and problem solving (e.g., What a great idea! Brilliant thinking in figuring that out!) versus emphasizing quality of work (e.g., You did a dynamite job in coloring that entire picture!). Balance positive feedback and encouragement with engaging children in authentic conversations. You do not want to engage in a monologue of continual feedback.
Adults need to monitor their own behavior to make sure they are spending more time using positive, descriptive language and less time giving directions or correcting inappropriate behavior.

61. 6. Using Positive Feedback and Encouragement
4 Principles
Contingent on appropriate behavior
Descriptive
Conveyed with enthusiasm
Contingent on effort
Using Positive Feedback and Encouragement
Describe the four major principles of using positive feedback and encouragement.
Positive feedback and encouragement should be:
Contingent on appropriate behavior. For example, when Cameron hangs his coat in his cubby, the teacher can acknowledge it by saying “Cameron thank you so much for hanging up your coat all by yourself.” When you observe Patrick washing his hands before lunch, you can give him positive feedback with a thumbs up and verbally describing what he did.
Descriptive. Rather than just saying “good job” or “thanks,” you provide a brief description of the behavior that you just observed. This feedback helps children know exactly what the behavior is that you would like to see repeated. For example, you might say, “Thanks for hanging up your coat all by yourself, Cameron. You sure are getting big.” “Wow, Patrick. You just washed your hands all by yourself without Ms. Ellie or me even telling you to do it.”
Conveyed with enthusiasm. Tone of voice, facial expressions, being down on a child’s level, and the timeliness of when the positive feedback is delivered are all variables that affect the spirit in which positive feedback is accepted.
Many children inherently like feedback from adults, and as we know, they will typically do many things to gain adults’ attention (yes, the good and even the not-so-good behaviors!).
Our enthusiasm when we deliver feedback conveys to young children that we are paying attention to them, that their behavior matters to us, and that we celebrate their accomplishments.
Think of the number of times you have heard a young child say, “Teacher, I did it!!!” It makes us smile just remembering the enthusiasm of young children when they have mastered a new skill or tried something that they have never done before.
Contingent on effort. Children need to be encouraged for their efforts as well as their successes. For example, Maggie, a child with special needs in your classroom, who really struggles with self-help skills, would be encouraged to try and put her shoes on, even if it means just getting her toes inside the shoes.
What are some different ways to give encouragement and feedback beyond the simple “good job?” Encourage participants to think about other ways to verbally give feedback and ways to give nonverbal feedback and encouragement.

62. Using Positive Feedback and Encouragement
Remember to use nonverbal forms of positive feedback and encouragement
Individualize use of positive feedback and encouragement based on children’s needs and preferences
Encourage other adults and peers to use positive feedback and encouragement
Talk about how there are different ways to give encouragement and feedback beyond the simple “good job.” Encourage participants to think about other ways to verbally give feedback and ways to give nonverbal feedback and encouragement.
Refer to Handout PS 1.7 titled Some Starters for Giving Positive Feedback and Encouragement (e.g., “You are so good at...” etc.). Read through the suggestions, mark a few that they particularly like and plan on using when they return to their early childhood settings. They can also come up with other ideas.
Giving nonverbal feedback/acknowledgment or signs of appreciation is an important strategy that we often overlook. Providing children with “warm fuzzies” might include hugs, high fives, winks, and thumbs ups. Have participants think of nonverbal ways that they typically provide feedback to young children. Have the group generate a list of these nonverbal behaviors and compile them on chart paper.
We do need to remember that types of positive feedback and encouragement should be individualized for each child. For example, some children may not feel comfortable being encouraged in front of a group, while others may really like to be encouraged in front of a group of peers. We have to look at the individual preferences of children. There also may be cultural variations on what is typical and/or acceptable. Share an example, noting the individual differences of children.
Relate the example of Kunal, a 4-year-old boy who struggled to be independent and was extremely persistent. After trying for many minutes to complete a task such as riding his bike up a slight incline and numerous slips backwards, he would get angry at his Mom and Dad if they acknowledged his efforts. He would even go so far as to say, “Don’t say, ‘You did it!’” or if they patted his back as he finally peddled away, he would cry out, “No, don’t pat me.” For Kunal, the challenge, and then ultimate success, although stressful and frustrating at times, was rewarding enough at that moment. His parents learned that, for him, bringing up these successes later (e.g., at bedtime when talking about the day, or hugging him and telling him how proud they were that he was learning to ride his bike so well) was a better strategy for providing positive feedback on Kunal’s efforts.
Encourage other adults and peers to use positive feedback and encouragement. Point out that this idea is a real key to increasing children’s appropriate behaviors! The impact of positive feedback and encouragement can be increased by ensuring that children are encouraged from multiple sources (e.g., parents, other teachers, and peers). Encouragement from more than one person is more likely to have a positive impact on children’s behavior. Consider the following examples of how the impact can be increased for individual children.
Kendall is acknowledged by his teacher at school and given a certificate about his good behavior that is attached to his coat. The bus driver acknowledges him as Kendall gets on the bus to head home, and then both of his parents acknowledge his appropriate behavior at home. By using this strategy of sending home a complimentary note, his teacher has helped Kendall receive three pieces of information about his behavior with one simple note (Mom, Dad, and the bus driver have all commented on his great sharing today).
Outside another Head Start classroom, Shannon (a child with Down syndrome) is complimented in front of her Mom when her Mom arrives to pick Shannon up at the end of the day. The teacher mentions that Shannon had such a great day because she “used her words to ask for more crackers and juice during snack” that day. Hearing this compliment, Mom is likely to mention it again to Shannon as they drive home, and she might even mention it to Grandma when they arrive at the grandparents’ house for dinner that evening.
If children repeatedly hear you thank them when they have assisted in cleaning up a center, helped wipe off the snack table, or assisted in gathering all the backpacks, they are likely to give one another compliments when a peer helps them with a backpack or takes part in gathering toys together.
Handout PS 1.7, “Some Starters for Giving Positive Feedback and Encouragement “

63. Sample Certificate SUPER FRIEND AWARD!!!
This certificate is to certify that Marleco is a SUPER FRIEND!!
Today, Marleco used his words to ask Malen nicely for a turn on the swing. When he was done swinging, he asked Malen if she wanted another turn and then helped to push her. At circle time, he gave his friend Cesar a compliment! YAY Marleco!! What a Super Friend you are!!
Give yourself a pat on the back!!
Signed by: Miss Gail & Mr. Jim
Date: January 7, 2006
Show a sample of a certificate that teachers might use to send notes home about a child’s appropriate behaviors.

64. Pulling it all Together!
Now we have come to the conclusion of our face-to-face training together.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on a few key take home thoughts.

65. Major Messages
Facilitate parents’ support in creating a smooth transition for children’s arrivals and departures
Routines offer the primary opportunity to use the adult/child relationship to enhance social emotional development in infants, toddlers and preschoolers
Plan for transitions! Challenging behaviors often occur during transitions
Use visual cues to teach children routines and schedules
Develop a schedule routine that promotes child engagement and success
Facilitate parents’ support in creating a smooth transition for children’s arrivals and departures
Routines offer the primary opportunity to use the adult/child relationship to enhance social emotional development in infants, toddlers and preschoolers
Plan for transitions! Challenging behaviors often occur during transitions
Use visual cues teach children routines and schedules
Develop a schedule routines that promotes child engagement and success

66. Major Messages to Take Home
The physical environment, particularly in group care, plays a major role in impacting the opportunities children have for the development of their social emotional competence
Creating meaningful and engaging learning spaces for children is essential to designing supportive environments for young children
Consider how the classroom arrangement and traffic patterns can minimize obstacles
Remind participants of the following key points:
The physical environment, particularly in group care, plays a major role in impacting the opportunities children have for the development of their social emotional competence.
Creating meaningful and engaging learning spaces for children is essential to designing supportive environments for young children.
Consider how the classroom arrangement and traffic patterns can minimize obstacles

67. Major Message Focus on prevention and teaching appropriate skills
It is important to be intentional about supporting the social emotional competence of children
Promoting children’s social and emotional development requires a comprehensive approach that includes building relationships, evaluating our own classrooms and ‘hot button’ behaviors, and TEACHING
Review the following key points:
Focus on prevention and teaching appropriate skills.
It is important to be intentional about supporting the social emotional competence of children.
Promoting children’s social and emotional development requires a comprehensive approach that includes building relationships, evaluating our own classrooms and ‘hot button’ behaviors, and TEACHING.

68. If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.
Carl Jung – psychiatrist
It is often easier to change our behavior or our environments than it is to change the child.

69. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Mahatma Ghandi
Action Planning Activity.
Have participants complete their Action Plan Form, filling in the grid with ideas of changes they want to make in their early childhood settings as a result of today’s session, as well as methods for evaluating their progress in making these changes.
Ask if anyone is willing to share some ideas that they hope to implement “back home.” Encourage a few participants to share ideas gleaned from today’s session.
Review your Personal Action Plan

70. Resources
Childcare and Youth Training and Technical Assistance project:
Better Kid Care:
CSEFEL :
Review each of the resources and if time permits visit the corresponding website.
Be sure to point out the following key characteristics of each resource:
CYTTAP website: Visit website, click on Rock Solid Foundations Link. Additional training resources available as well as information on the project.
BKC: visit website to show how to sign up for the newsletter as well as how to access the online learning modules and resources that have been developed.
CSEFEL: Again explain how this training selected pieces of the more comprehensive program of CSEFEL. Therefore if they would like additional resources, materials, information and strategies they can visit the CSEFEL website.

71. Evaluation
Evaluation: Thank participants again for their time and ask them to complete the evaluation form. However there is an option to complete the evaluation online. Link will be provided. Details about the evaluation procedures will be outlined and can be accessed on the CYTTAP website under instructor resources/Rock Solid Foundations. (If credits or certificates are available do not provide until evaluation is submitted. Same applies for the “incentive” item we provide).

72. شكرا ¡Gracias! Thanks beaucoup
Express your gratitude in having the opportunity to share with them the CSEFEL resources and strategies.
Remind participants as stated at the beginning of the presentation that this training is the beginning of ongoing support and resources.
Explain that the CYTTAP team will be offering trainings for the next two years and look out for future training opportunities.