Date of Award

Winter 12-18-2020

Document Type

Project (696 or 796 registration)

Degree Name

Master of Science in Special Education

Department

Graduate Studies

Committee Chair

Shirley Johnson

Keywords

PBIS, Special Education, Rules and Expectations, Universal, Intervention

Abstract

With so many uncertainties in childcare centers all across America (especially in a world of COVID-19), it is crucial to have Positive Behavioral Systems and Supports (PBIS) in place to ensure success in learning environments for all children. Typically speaking, the center that I work in has four classrooms, with each teacher directly in charge of their own students. In a normal school year, teachers also are given the opportunity to interact and work with students from other age groups, giving all children a chance to form relationships with each adult. However, in a COVID-19 world, these interactions are non-existent, as teachers are only allowed to interact within their classroom “bubble.” This makes the already challenging routine of transitioning to new rooms and routines each year so much more difficult on both the students and teachers. To ease this transition, the center would benefit from having a universal set of rules and expectations for students and staff to follow- our own form of PBIS.

In order for PBIS to be successful within the Early Education center, rules and expectations must be decided on by all teachers, showing a school-wide commitment. These rules and expectations must be created with attention to both the needs of the students and the needs of the learning environment. There must also be a form of data collection to suggest that the system is successful or to show developers where changes can be made. Finally, to help the other staff at the center understand each expectation or rule, there must be documentation detailing what the expectation might look like or how they can help the children to be successful.

This project focused on creating a positive, universal set of rules and expectations within my preschool setting, in which children could grow social-emotionally while positively learning from and upholding these expectations. After a set of expectations were established, a handbook thoroughly defining and providing examples of each expectation was required in order to properly train all staff members on how to teach the new set of rules. This handbook will be used each year during staff training and serve as a steppingstone into the development of a larger PBIS system within the childcare center itself.

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.