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Promoting Positive Social Development

Be Safe

Be Kind

Be Responsible

These are the three behavioral expecta-tions that were adopted by one pre-school after they began using systems ofpositive behavior support (PBS). Inorder to support early intervention andprevention efforts, many professionalsare working to establish systems of pos-itive behavior support earlier, beforechildren enter elementary school set-tings. This article presents the differ-ences between PBS at the preschoollevel and at the elementary school leveland also discusses how to implementfeatures of PBS in preschool programs.

Early childhood professionals needto be prepared to support the develop-ment of appropriate social behavior inyoung children. Research has clearlyshown the developmental path of chil-dren who enter elementary school withrelatively stable externalizing behaviorpatterns (e.g., Walker. Ramsey, &Gresham, 2003; Webster-Stratton,1997). That is, children with earlybehavior problems are at risk for peerrejection, teacher rejection, limited

Positive Behavior SupportSystems: Applying Key

Features in Preschool Settings

Melissa Stormont • Timothy J. Lewis • Rebecca Beckner

opportunities for learning appropriatebehavior in school, and continued prob-lems in these areas as they get older(Kauffman, 2001; Stormont. 2001;Walker et al.). Many contributing fac-tors—including common school disci-pline practices that exacerbate and per-petuate negative behaviorpatterns—can contribute to the stabilityof problem behavior in children(Kauffman; Lewis & Sugai, 1999; Mayer,1995; Skiha & Peterson, 2000). Thisfinding is especially pertinent for earlychildhood and primary grade teachers,since research suggests the existence ofa window of opportunity for affectingthese behavior patterns to reduce thelikelihood that they become chronicacross the children's school experience.Research indicates that at-risk childrenwho have not learned more adaptivebehavior patterns by the end of the thirdgrade are highly unlikely to ever be suc-cessful if continuing and comprehensiveexternal supports are absent (Walker etal.).

The research on children who enterschool with problem behavior demon-strates poor outcomes for children whodevelop antisocial behavior patternsand indicates that the previous reac-tionary and punishment-oriented schoolapproaches have negative effects.Fortunately, school professionals now

recognize the need for proactive, sup-portive interventions that promoteappropriate behavior in all students(Lewis & Sugai, 1999; OSEP TechnicalAssistance Center, 2003; Sugai &Horner. 2001).

Schools across the United States areimplementing schoolwide systems ofPBS. The main purposes of implement-ing systems of schoolwide PBS are to"define, teach, and support appropriatebehaviors in a way that establishes aculture of competence within schools"(OSEP Technical Assistance Center,2003, p. 1). Accordingly, the key fea-tures of schoolwide PBS are to

• Specifically define appropriate behav-ior that is expected in school settings{behavior expectations).

• Teach children these behavior expec-tations in all school settings (class-room and nonclassroom settings).

• Support appropriate behavior throughspecific feedback in various wayswhen it occurs.

• Use data to further guide decisionsregarding supportive interventions(Lewis & Sugai, 1999; OSEP TechnicalAssistance Center; Sugai & Horner,2001).

The extensive research base for thesekey features includes research on theuse of supportive proactive and reactive

42 • COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

contingencies, including positive rein-forcement, prompts and cues, directinstruction, and data-based decisionmaking {see Colvin, Kameenui, & Sugai.1994; Kartub, Taylor-Greene, March, &Horner, 2000; Lewis, Powers, Kelk, &Newcomer, 2002; Lewis, Sugai, &Colvin, 1998; Lewis-Palmer, Flannery,Sugai, & Eber. 2002; Nakasato, 2000;Scott, 2001; Taylor-Greene et al. 1997;Taylor-Greene & Kartub, 2000; Todd,Horner, & Sugai, 1999).

An additional component of school-wide PBS includes establishing a repre-sentative team of school professionalswho build the capacity within theirschool to put the key features of school-wide PBS in place (Lewis & Sugai,1999). The team also monitors theprogress of the school toward imple-menting the key features. This schooldecision-making team is an essentialpart of implementing schoolwide PBS,since it empowers schools to "own" andindividualize the process according tothe school's characteristics and theneeds of its staff and students (Lewis &Sugai}.

The PBS process also includes more-focused interventions (small-group/tar-geted supports) for students whorequire more support in the form ofenvironmental modifications, socialskills instruction, and practice opportu-nities (Lewis & Sugai, 1999).Schoolwide PBS provides the processfor determining the students who are atrisk and then consistently support theirbehavior in all settings. For studentswho do not respond to schoolwide—oruniversal—support or to more focusedsmail-group/targeted supports, individ-ual supports, which are typically deter-mined through functional behavioralassessments, are put in place. Theschoolwide part of PBS, in which a cul-ture of supporting appropriate behaviorin all settings and for all students isestablished, is the foundation of theschoolwide PBS process. In addition,schoolwide PBS has clear linkagesamong the universal supports for allstudents and the two adtiltional supportlevels to form a continuum of behaviorsupport, as shown in Figure 1. Schoolsneed to recognize the time involved inestablishing universal, small-group/tar-

geted, and individual supports. Staffmust plan in 3- to 5-year cycles for theprocess to become fully institutional-ized (Lewis & Sugai).

Although extensive research has dis-cussed the process of implementingschoolwide PBS in elementary and sec-ondary schools (see Lewis et al., 2002;Lewis et al., 1998; Lewis-Palmer et al.,2002; Nakasato, 2000; Scott, 2001), lessresearch has discussed the use ofschoolwide PBS in preschool settings.We cannot overstate the importance ofimplementing supportive interventionsduring the preschool years (Kaiser &Hester, 1997; Walker et al., 2003;Webster-Stratton, 1997),

Most children with severe behaviorproblems begin to display problembehaviors during their preschool years(Stormont, 2002; Walker et al., 2003). Inaddition, certain populations—includ-ing children with such identified dis-abilities as autism or developmentaldelays^are at increased risk for prob-lem behavior. Early childhood settingsthat include these children should be

able to teach and support appro-priate behavior (Kauffman, 2001).Furthermore, young children who are atrisk because of such factors as poverty,neglect, violence in the home, or othertypes of family adversity are also morevulnerable for developing problembehavior patterns (Stormont, Espinosa,Knipping, & McCathren, 2003). Thus,preschool programs such as early child-hood special education. Title I, andHead Start should have supports inplace to prevent problem behavior andto minimize existing problem behaviorthrough systematic early intervention.Community preschool programs canalso use PBS for their students.EstabUshing systems of PBS in any pre-school setting is one way to intervene ina supportive and proactive manner

To successfully implement school-wide systems of PBS, preschool pro-grams need to address the same corekey features that programs for olderchildren must address. However, recog-nizing and discussing the differencesthat exist in preschool settings is also

FIgura 1 . Levels of Support for Schoolwide PBS

itinuum of Riogram-,de Rjsitive Behavior

Primary Prevention:Program-wide and

Classroum

Ternary Syslcms:Speciulized IndividualizedSystems for Students with

High Risk Behavior

Sei:i)ndary Prevention:Specialized Group Systems

for Studems withAt-risk Behavior

TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN • JULY/AUGUST 2005 • 43

important. We present this informationin the context of each key schoolwidefeature, or part, of the process, includ-ing establishing a team, determiningand teaching behavior expectations,supporting behavior expectations, and

Sihoolwide PBS providesHte process for determining

Hie stvdenfs vifho are atrisii and fiten €onsisfenfiy

support their betiavlor inaii settings^

using data-based decision making.Although this article focuses on univer-sal supports, we also present a fewexamples of small-group/targeted sup-ports. We give examples describing howpreschool early childhood programshave implemented key features of pro-gramwide PBS. This article presentsinformation apphcable to early child-hood preschool programs that servechildren ages from 3 to 5 years old, orold enough to enter kindergarten.

Establishing a Tsam forPregramwide PBSThe fiJTSt difference in PBS at the pre-school level is that the classrooms formany preschool programs are not con-centrated at one site or center. Thus, theterm programwide should replaceschoolwide for most early childhoodpreschool programs. For programwidePBS, as with schoolwide PBS, one teamsupports PBS efforts in the program.

The programwide team should repre-sent the diversity that exists in manyearly childhood preschool programs. Anearly childhood program could have ateam of professionals—including teach-ers, paraprofessionals, instructionalaides, speech and language patholo-gists, motor specialists, school psychol-ogists, and part-time behavior consult-ants—and parents of children in theprogram. As a result, teams in earlychildhood programs may be much larg-er than teams in elementary and sec-

ondary schools. Because of the largersize of the preschool team, it mayrequire more organization' to keepeveryone on task, as well as subcom-mittees to explore certain issues andbring information to the larger group. Inaddition, team meetings may requiremore time to make sure that everyonehas input at the meetings.

Within preschool programs, severaladministrators may be in charge of dif-ferent parts of the program. For exam-ple, the early childhood special educa-tion program may have one director,and the Title I program may have anoth-er director. The PBS team shouldinclude all administrators in the pro-gram to support communication andcollaboration among professionals inthe program.

As with schoolwide PBS, the teamshould meet as often as needed, but atleast once a month. The team shouldestablish assigned roles for its membersearly, preferably during the first meet-ing; and these roles should include afacihtator, a timekeeper, and a recorder.Early childhood programs that arehoused in different locations shouldalso have several communication coor-dinators, who have responsibility forsharing information with staff in differ-ent buildings. To facilitate success inprogramwide efforts, all teachers in allclassrooms need to be aware of teamdecisions and supports. When an earlychildhood preschool classroom is locat-ed in an elementary school that usesschoolwide PBS, the preschool teachersshould be a part of both the schoolwideteam and the early childhood programteam.

Teams are the driving force behindschoolwide and programwide PBSefforts. Teams determine the goals thatare most important to target each year.They need to individualize their goalson the basis of their program's charac-teristics and their students' needs. Teamgoals can include establishing a year-long training and planning process toensure that all staff are educated on PBSbefore beginning the process of puttingsystems in place. Team goals can alsoinclude determining the key featuresthat the team will target first and thendetermining how and when to monitor

progress toward the goals. With inputfrom the program staff, teams need todecide what the behavior expectationswill be, when and how to teach thebehavior expectations, and the type ofdata to use in making decisions.

E>etennine, Tsach, and SupportBehavior ExpoctatlonsOne of the first tasks for the PBS team isto establish behavior expectations. Theexpectations are the "rules" for theschool or program. With older children,there are typically no more than fiveschoolwide behavior expectations.Because of developmental differences,early childhood preschool programsshould select a smaller number. Theexpectations must include words thatchildren can understand.

For example, the previously men-tioned early childhood program selected"Be Safe" and "Be Kind" as two of itsexpectations because the staff believedthat those expectations included wordsthat were already in the children'svocabularies. In addition, the staffalready used these words in the class-rooms. The team selected "BeResponsible" as the third programwideexpectation for two reasons. First, thedistrict's schoolwide system used "BeResponsible" as one of its five behaviorexpectations. The team wanted toincrease the likelihood that childrenwould make connections between theearly childhood PBS efforts and school-wide efforts in the feeder elementaryschools. Second, responsible is a wordthat many kindergarten teachers use, sothe team believed that introducing theterm to the children would be benefi-cial. Although many children in theearly childhood program had a difficulttime articulating "Be Responsible," theywere able to learn the behaviors (suchas clean up your area) that exemphfiedthis expectation.

After developing behavior expecta-tions, teachers and other professionalsin the program need to teach the stu-dents the more specific behaviors thatrepresent the expectations in differentsettings. However, before teaching thespecific behaviors, the team needs toplan the behaviors that its memberswant to support programwide. For


example, in schoolwide systems, chil-dren may learn what beitig kind "lookslike" in the cafeteria, on the playground,in the hallway, and on the bus.Although many children in early child-hood programs eat in their classrooms,most of these other nonctassroom set-tings apply to young children, as well.Fortunately, within early childhood pro-grams, opportunities to teach and sup-port appropriate behavior exist through-out the day, and supporting socialdevelopment is typically part of theearly childhood curricula [e.g., Bricker,Pretti-Frontczak, & McComas, 1998,Hohmann & Weikart, 1995).

As in schoolwide PBS, early child-hood programwide PBS can includedeveloping matrices for specific settingsand prosocial behavioral examples, orrules, that fall under each of the expec-tations within each setting. Figure 2presents a sample matrix of expecta-tions. This matrix is a table that repre-sents the necessary behaviors that sup-port the expectations in classroom andnonclassroom settings. For example, thematrix in Figure 2 includes columnslabeled "Classroom,'" "Outside," "Bus,"and "Hallway" settings and rowslabeled "Be Safe," "Be Kind," and "BeResponsible." The specific rules underthe expectation of "Be Safe" in the class-room may include "Use walking feet,"

"Keep hands and feet to self," and"Listen to the teacher" In the example,the expectations for one classroom for"Be Responsible" in outside settingsinclude "Line up when called" and "Putaway toys."

For early childhood programs, oneprogramwide matrix may be better thanclassroom-specific matrices, since manyrelated service providers'—such asspeech and language therapists andoccupational therapists—provide servic-es in multiple classrooms. Consistencyin terminology among classrooms willhelp related service providers andadministrators support the behaviorexpectations in their interactions withchildren. The PBS team can develop theprogram matrix, and then all profes-sionals in the program can review andapprove it before finalizing it. Afterdeveloping matrices, the team shoulddevelop lesson plans to teach the expec- •tations in different settings. The PBSteam should compile sample lessons foreach expectation. Figure 3 shows anexample of a lesson plan that one earlychildhood program used.

After choosing the expectations andafter beginning to introduce the behav-iors that represent the expectations, pro-fessionals also need to encourage theuse of the behaviors that represent theexpectations (e.g., "Look at Sally being

kind to her friend by sharing herglue!"). Early childhood professionalscan encourage these behaviors in sever-al ways:

• They can illustrate the specific behav-iors that exemplify the expectations incontext so that the expectationsbecome more concrete and becomeanchored to familiar words andbehavior.

• Highlighting the occurrence of exem-plars in context teaches the expecta-tions and supports the use of theexpectations through immediate andpositive recognition of the behavior.For many children, this acknowledg-ment serves as positive reinforcementof their behavior and increases thelikelihood that they will engage in thebehavior again (Maag, 2001).

• Early childhood professionals canalso support appropriate behavior byusing prompts and cues for appropri-ate behavior in settings that are par-ticularly challenging for a child or formany children in the class (Walker etal., 2003). Such prompts and cues arealso important to use when childrenare first learning the desired behav-iors for certain settings or when theyreturn from breaks. (See box, "CaseScenario: Samantha" for an exampleillustrating the use of prompts andcues.)

Figur* 2. Sample Matrix of Program Rules and Defined Expected Behaviors

Be Safe

Be Kind

Be Responsible

••••

•

•••

••

Classroom

Use walking feet

Sit in your spot

Pretzel legs

Keep hands and feetto self

Listen to the teacher

Share toys

Quiet handsUse kind words withfriends

Clean up

Wash hands

•••

••

••

Outside

Listen to teachersSlide on your bottomWatch for drivingtrikes

Take turns

Use kind words

Line up when calledPut away toys

•••

••

••

Bus

Sit in your seatListen to the driverWait on the sidewalk

Say "Hi" to the driver

Use kind words

Buckle up

Take your backpack

•

••

••

••

Hallway

Use walking feet

Eyes forward

Hands to your side

Use quiet voices

Smile at others

Stay in line

Keep hands to your-self


Figure 3 . Early Childhood Losson Plant for One Rulo (l.o., uso walking foot) for fho Expoctatlon"Bo Safo"

Social Skills Lesson PlanClassroom Skill: Be Safe—Use Walking Feet

Steps:

1. Introduce the concept: A way to be safe is to use walking feet in the classroom.

2. Ask students, "When do we need to use our walking feet?" (Possible answers include when we are inside, when we aregoing to the playground, when we are going to the bus, and when we are going home.)

3. Discuss with students why it is safe to use walking feet instead of running in the classroom.

4. Have students trace their friends' feet on construction paper, and make a course or trail for children to follow while theypractice walking.

5. Use pre-corrects all day every day that week before changing activities.

6. Remind children to use walking feet.

Modeling and role play:

1. Model walking, marching, stomping (e.g., "Walking feet go land 2 and 3 and 4 and 5").

2. Have students practice walking softly, loudly, quickly, slowly, forward, and backward.

3. Such games as Follow the Leader, Simon Says.

Possible materials:

1. Lightweight books for students to balance on their heads as they practice walking softly.

2. Storybooks about animals (have students walk like a duck, horse, cat, elephant, and so on).

Homework:

Send home a note suggesting that parents ask their children about using walking feet.

Other information:

Review at the end of the week.

Another way to make the expecta-tions more concrete for young chil-dren is to use pictures and other visu-al representations of the expectations.For example, a poster in the class-room with pictures of ears next to theexpectation "Be Kind," pictures offeet next to "Be Safe," and pictures oftoys on a shelf next to "BeResponsible" can remind children ofthe rules of listening in class, usingwalking feet, and putting away toys.Teachers can add additional picturesto reflect the rules for each of theexpectations.

Teachers can also take photographs ofstudents in their classroom who areexemplifying an expectation and thenpost them in the classroom. Teachersshould clearly state to the class whatthe student is doing that warranteddisplaying the picture (such as shar-ing, walking, or cleaning up). Thesephotographs can help make theexpectations clearer for young chil-dren with developmental delays and

for children for whom Enghsh is asecond language.

• The teacher can also support appro-priate behavior by sending positivebehavior reports home to children'sfamilies.

After developing mafrkes,

the team should develop

lesson plans fo teach the

expectations In different

settings*

Another method of supportingappropriate behavior is to have groupcelebrations in classrooms when severalchildren have exemplified one of theexpectations. One early childhood pro-gram used a group-celebration strategyto support the use of positive behaviorexpectations in the classrooms. In that

program, the expectations were "BeSafe," "Be Kind," and "Be Responsible";and staff had developed a bumblebeetheme to support the use of the expec-tations. In some classrooms, staff haddrawn beehives on poster board, andattached the bees to the hive withVelcro. In other classrooms, large jarsrepresented beehives, and staff createdlittle bumblebees for students to placein the jars. When the hive was full (typ-ically 10 bees), the group immediatelystopped and briefly celebrated itsefforts. When an adult observed a childdemonstrating safe, kind, or responsiblebehavior, he or she verbally acknowl-edged the expectation and the specificbehavior that the child had demonstrat-ed. The adult then allowed the child toput a bee on or in the beehive. Forexample, an adult might say, "Dwayne,you were kind when you gave that bookto Sally to read, even though you had itfirst. You may put a bee on the bee-hive. "


Preschool programs can choose touse other types of acknowledgment forappropriate behavior for all children orfor a few children who need more sup-port. One of the most important aspectsof supporting the universal expectationsof a program is to provide specific ver-bal feedback to children when theydemonstrate appropriate behavior.Teaching and encouraging appropriatebehavior is a skill that needs to bedeveloped in all staff working with chil-dren. One way to determine if profes-sionals are having difficuhy in this areais to collect data to determine whethercertain staff members need more sup-port. Administrators, behavior special-ists, and members of the PBS team canvisit classrooms and observe staffimplementation of the key features ofPBS.

Use Data to Drive DecisionsDuring the meetings of the PBS team,the team needs to decide on the types ofdata to collect so that staff can monitorprogramwide efforts. Early childhoodprograms often keep data on referralsfor evaluations for special educationand requests for technical assistance forclassroom and behavior management.These sources can furnish some grossestimates of the effects of programwidePBS over time. However, if staff doesnot collect additional data, early child-hood programs may miss vital informa-tion regarding behavior problems.

Elementary and secondary schoolsgenerally have an office referral data-collection system already in place whenthey begin the PBS process. Office refer-ral data are very informative and canhelp target specific classrooms, settings,and individual students after analyzingreferral patterns (e.g., Tobin, Sugai, &Colvin, 1996; Tobin, Sugai, & Colvin,2000; Tobin & Sugai, 1999a; Tobin &Sugai, 1999b). However, when youngchildren engage in problem behavior,adults do not typically send them to anoffice. Furthermore, given developmen-tal variations, problem behavior is amore relative term with younger chil-dren. As a result, most early childhoodprograms do not have a specific formatfor data collection regarding behaviorincidents, and staff often do not report

Case Scenario: SamanthaSamantha typicolly ran across the rcxjm when her mother orrived to pick her up. Theteacher had tried many different techniques to halt this dangerous action. However,before programwide PBS was implemented, nothing seemed to change the behav-ior. When the school started using programwide PBS, the teacher taught the chil-dren specific expectations for behavior in the classroom, practiced their use, andbegan verbally acknowledging children when they were demonstrating appropriatebehavior. One of the behavior expectations in the classroom is "Be Safe." To sup-port this behavior expectation, children learn specific behaviors that are safe in dif-ferent settings. One "Be Safe" behavior that was taught for the classroom settingwas "Use your walking feet." Because Samantha had a previous problem with thisbehavior, her teacher reminded her every day before her mother came. About 15minutes before her mother was due to arrive, Samantha's teacher would askSamantha how she was going to be safe when her mother came in the door.Samantha answered that she would use her walking feet. To further support thisbehavior, when Samantha walked to her mother, the teocher and mother specificallyacknowledged this behavior and said "Samantha, you are being safe. You areusing your walking feet." Samantha now regularly walks to her mother when shearrives to pick her up from school.

information to a central location.Accordingly, early childhood PBS teamsmay spend a lot of time determiningwhat behaviors to document, whatenvironmental conditions to note,where to send the behavioral reports,and how to monitor the reports and usethem in team decision making.

In an effort to create a develop-mentally appropriate equivalent tooffice referral data, one early childhoodprogram used input from the PBS teamand the full staff to develop a behaviorincident form. The form documentedthe following:

• The type of problem behavior.

• The setting (classroom, bathroom,bus, hallway, or playground), thetype of class activity taking place atthat time, and any triggers to thebehavior (e.g., another child took atoy).

• The persons involved.

• The consequences of the behavior

One team used the informationobtained from these behavior incidentsto more accurately communicate infor-mation about the children's behavior toparents and other staff members, to pro-vide information about children whoneeded extra support, and to targetareas for professional development forthe staff. For example, at the end of thefirst year of using programwide PBS, the

team noted that most of the incidentsinvolved aggressive and oppositionalbehavior The team members decidedthat the following year they would gath-er some additional information on

Teaihing and en€ouragingappropriate behavior Is a

skili that needs to i edeveloped in all SHMworking with children.

research-based strategies to work withthose types of problem behavior.

The team can use additional sourcesof data to determine which children orclassrooms need more behavioral sup-port, such as behavior observations,behavior ratings, or completion of sur-veys. The PBS team for the early child-hood program should determine thedata that give the most informationabout the children's progress toward thegoals. After programwide PBS has beenin place for a period of time, the teamsmay also use information obtainedthrough interviews and surveys of thestaff and parents to determine opinionsabout the process.


Establish Su|^>orls for ChildrenWho Are at Risk for ChronicBehavior ConcernsAlthough data can help determine spe-cific children who need more support,programwide universal strategies alonewill not be sufficient to support childrenwho display intensive or chronic pat-terns of problem behavior. However,developing programwide universal sup-ports will increase the likelihood ofmaintenance and generalization of indi-vidual behavior change, Data can helpteams determine the children and class-rooms that need support and the sup-ports that are appropriate.

One early childhood program teamdecided to establish "The BUZ Team"{Buddy Up Zone) to support staff mem-bers who were concerned about thebehavior of specific children. Membersrepresenting all professions from theprogram were available to offer strate-gies. The team also included a behaviorconsultant who was trained to conductfunctional behavior assessments and todevelop FBA-based plans. These planstake into consideration setting factorsthat may be supporting problem behav-ior in children and the function that spe-cific behaviors may be serving for indi-vidual children. Plans include changingenvironmental conditions tbat supportproblem behavior and teaching childrenappropriate replacement behaviors toget what they need. The team used theincident report data to help track chil-dren who seemed to need more support.

The PBS team made the decision rulethat if a child had more than three inci-dent reports during a month, then thechild's case was discussed at a meeting.A staff member could bring any child tothe BUZ team for any type of concern.However, the PBS team emphasized tbatbefore a staff member could bring achild to the BUZ team, the key featuresof programwide universal PBS had to bein place in the child's classroom (i.e.,staff had to teach rules and routines andchildren had to practice them, staff con-sistently acknowledged appropriatebehavior, and inappropriate behaviorhad consequences). If tbese proactivefeatures were in place and a child wasnot responding, the teacher scheduledan appointment witb the BUZ team.

During the consultation process, theBUZ team developed a behaviorimprovement plan with the teachingstaff, related services personnel, andparents. Other outcomes of this processmight include small group or individualinterventions or a referral for a specialeducation evaluation. After the BUZteam recommended interventions, thebehavior consultant supported the staffmember while intervention strategieswere put in place through ongoing con-sultation and observations.

Another need in many early child-hood programs is a plan for childrenwhose physical outbursts are dangerousto themselves or to others. Elementaryand secondary settings typically haveoffice supports when a student's behav-ior is out of control. However, becauseearly childhood classrooms are oftenlocated in elementary schools, teachersin these classrooms do not typicallyhave the direct support of a buildingadministrator who has expertise in earlychildhood education. Within most earlychildhood programs, early childhoodstaff members do tend to have the sup-port of personnel with expertise in chal-lenging behavior who can help themcreate crisis plans for children with suchbehavior. Crisis plans can include estab-lishing a plan to de-escalate the behav-ior, a safe place in the classroom for achild when he or she is being unsafeand cannot be de-escalated, and strate-gies to reengage and support the child.The focus within crisis plans should stillbe on building the appropriate prosocialskills. For example, a child who isremoved from the classroom because ofhis or her acting-out behavior shouldpractice social skills during the removal,and staff should devise a strategy to pre-vent the problem from occurring again.

Final IhoughflsEarly childhood programs need to beequipped to teach and support appro-priate social behavior in young children,especially if they serve children at riskfor behavior problems. Teachers ofyoung children wbo attend Title 1, HeadStart, and special education programsare usually at an increased risk for hav-ing behavior problems that are main-tained or exacerbated as they move into

elementary grades. Schoolwide PBS is aprocess for addressing behavioral needsof young children. It has a foundation inresearch-based practices and has beensuccessfully implemented in elementaryand secondary settings.

Several adaptations facilitate theimplementation of PBS at the earlychildhood level;• Schoolwide PBS should be reframed

as programwide PBS at the earlychildhood level, since early childhoodclassrooms are typically spread acrossa school district.

• To ensure the success of programwidePBS, the team should work towardensuring that everyone is well versedin supporting behavioral expectationsand collecting data on children'sbehavior.

• All staff should be willing to committo using the systems of support.

• Ongoing collection of data during theimplementation of programwide PBScan assist the team in determiningwhether children or staff need moresupport.

• Professional development opportuni-ties should promote knowledge of theresearch framework to supportschoolwide PBS. These opportunitiesfor professional development are par-ticularly important for paraprofes-sionals because they are less likely tohave received information on behav-ior support through college course-work or in-service training {Stormont,Lewis, & Covington-Smith, 2004).

• An additional consideration for earlychildhood settings is the necessity ofaddressing children's needs for sup-port within eacb classroom ratherthan across an entire school building.Thus, teachers in early childhoodclassrooms need to be prepared toprovide small-group/targeted andindividual supports for students whohave more intense needs.

Finally, given the amount of timeand effort in getting tbis process to fullinstitutionalization, administrators, par-ents, and the community must under-stand and support the implementationof programwide PBS.


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Stormont, M., Lewis, T. J., & Covington-Smith, S. (2004). Behavior support strate-gies in early childhood settings: Tearhers'importance and feasibility ratings.Manuscript submitted for publication.

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Melissa Stormont (CEC Chapter ff6I2),Associate Professor; and Timothy J. Lewis(CEC Chapter «366), Professor and Chair.Department of Special Education. Universityof Missouri-Columbia. Rebecca Beckner(CEC Chapter ff612). Behavioral Consultant,Columbia Public Schools, Columbia,Missouri.

Address correspondence to Melissa Stormont,Department of Special Education. Universityof Missouri-Columbia. 3UK Townsend Hall.Columbia, MO 65211. (e-mail: [email protected])

TEACHING Exceptional Children, Vo/ 37. No.6. pp. 42-49.

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