Attendees will be provided with strategies and practices to support an inclusive classroom for students who are typically developing, students with identified disabilities and neurodivergent. This presentation gives a brief overview of special education disabilities (as outlined by CA Education Code) and early childhood special education services available to identified students. An overview of how to identify the function of behaviors will be presented. Strategies presented are not only effective or applicable to students with identified needs, but for ALL young learners. Common maladaptive behaviors and needs of young children will be addressed and strategies to support these behaviors will be presented (e.g., positive rephrasing, flexible seating accommodations, language prompting, token systems, visual schedules, etc.). The objective is to provide a toolbox of strategies to early childhood educators, so attendees leave with a better understanding of behaviors exhibited by young children and how to effectively support all children.
Positive child guidance is a key element in creating a safe, supportive and inviting learning environment for young children. Adults provide a pathway of learning for children through their interactions and guidance techniques. When adults use positive guidance they strongly support children’s overall development as they are building critical life skills. Positive guidance is a teaching method used to influence children’s behaviors both directly and indirectly. Direct guidance is when adults use physical and verbal interactions and indirect guidance is the behind-the-scenes work adults use to plan materials, activities, curriculum, and the environment. To implement appropriate positive guidance strategies it is important to first understand children’s behaviors. Children of all ages, especially toddlers, engage in behaviors adults may find challenging to manage (biting, self-sufficiency, peer relationships). This presentation addresses daily routines (diapering, hand washing, and mealtime), interactions with peers, meaningful experiences and toddlers’ big emotions based on positive guidance strategies.
Tantrums and meltdowns — even the thought of one is enough to make many people cringe. Believe it or not, children want to comply with our instructions. Children try to communicate with us about the struggles they’re having in cooperating with our requests through their words and their behavior. The child needs our help overcoming those challenges. However, we often don’t understand what children are communicating, or that they are even trying to communicate, so perhaps we don’t listen and we don’t help them — and now we have an upset child and a frustrated adult. Come learn how children communicate with their behavior, how to understand the communication, and how to leverage your relationship with the child toward collaboration and harmony. We will discuss several developmentally appropriate guidance strategies, a child’s attachment needs, and a brief overview of how a child’s brain functions.
Guiding children’s behavior is something done throughout the day, not just when a child acts in a way that is unsafe. This presentation provides an introduction to the importance of meaningful interactions through positive cultural guidance strategies, focusing on modeling kindness, dignity and respect. Participants will gain skills and strategies to resolve common behaviors with respect, and without punishment or rewards. Attendees will be able to apply and develop reasonable limits, receive guidance on setting up the classroom environment, and — most importantly — provide culturally appropriate guidance strategies. All adult-child interactions should be intentional in order to connect with a child and extend their learning.
Effective child guidance serves as a foundational pillar for nurturing young minds and fostering their development. This presentation equips educators with insights and practical tools to navigate the journey of guiding young children toward emotional and behavioral growth, emphasizing a holistic approach that takes into account the child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Drawing on the latest research and best practices, it offers a clear roadmap for educators to create supportive, nurturing environments. Key topics include understanding child development, positive behavior reinforcement, building healthy relationships, cultivating emotional intelligence, and inclusive practices. Attendees leave with a toolkit of evidence-based strategies and practical tips to enhance their child guidance skills.
This presentation uses up-to-date research on neurodivergent children and guidance to highlight best practices for the guidance of preschoolers with disabilities. It addresses the complexity of behaviors, defines neurodiversity, and explores how teachers and families can support young children with disabilities/divergent brains in building the skills and self-regulation needed to be successful in school and life. We will explore the differences between behaviorist and developmental approaches to managing behaviors (including challenging ones), highlighting the importance of respecting all children’s autonomy and unique needs, and examine how factors such as communication and sensory differences can influence behavior. There will be discussion of the long-term impacts of practices such as ABA for autistic/neurodivergent children and adults, and how current systems may further harm our most at-risk families and students. Participants leave with a more informed understanding of the autistic/neurodivergent experience and ways to support children’s strengths.
The Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (SEFEL) is a professional development series aimed to empower early educators with the necessary tools to support social-emotional competence in young children. Focused on responsive caring, cultivated learning environments, facilitating social-emotional skills, and supporting children with challenging behavior, the SEFEL training series helps teachers build and grow a specific skill set.
In this presentation, attendees will learn how mindfulness can be used as a joyous child guidance practice. Information will be presented on what mindfulness practices are and how they relate to guiding children’s behavior through social-emotional development. A discussion of mindfulness strategies to work with children in the classroom — and how to share information with the primary caregivers of these children — will follow. The presentation finishes with a hands-on/demonstration-type activity and time for questions.
This presentation gives participants an introduction to behavior management in the classroom environment. We’ll briefly review various aspects of understanding why challenging behaviors occur and the skills to change them to more appropriate ones. The workshop comes from a hybrid perspective of early childhood education and applied behavior analysis.
This session uses the new CDC publication to share an honest and comprehensive look at the inequitable experiences of our youngest boys of color in early learning programs. It provides an overview and an opportunity to practice strategies for improving racial equity through strengthening racial awareness, addressing implicit bias, and creating culturally responsive, safe, affirming, and engaging environments for boys of color and their families.
