ProKids, INC Presents

Effecting Individual Child Behavior and the Group Dynamic

June 9, 2012 at the ProKids, Inc Indianapolis from 9am-12pm

$30 Registration fee and includes light refreshments

All participants must register online at http://www.utsprokids.org/login.asp

Training Agenda:

This three hour session will focus on three distinct aspects of shaping children’s behavior and positively affecting the group dynamic of your childcare facility or classroom.

1. Environment & Workplace Culture

2. Planning and Communication (Thinking Outside the Box)

3. Strategies & Techniques

This session is designed to encourage teachers and childcare providers to focus on all three of these components, to value their impact on child behavior and to analyze each when problem-solving scenarios involving behaviorally challenging children.

When a child demonstrates challenging behavior, we typically jump directly to Strategies and Techniques, or even punishment/consequences. We often skip, or invest very little time, seriously considering that components 1 & 2 might also hold some answers and get the results we are searching for.

I will propose in this session that we miss many opportunities if we fail to consistently utilize all of the tools in our arsenal. In fact, investing time in Components 1 & 2 might even prove to result in change that (1) impacts the entire group dynamic (staff, children, and families), (2) that is longer lasting, (3) and is more effective.

Alas, don’t fret, we will spend considerable time on Component 3. I am, after all, a Behaviorist. We all want to discuss “what to do when…” Shaping a child’s behavior when it consistently interferes with their development and safety, or the development and safety of others is critical. Until a child is able to reasonably conform to the social and behavioral norms of any given environment in which they find themselves, they will struggle to benefit fully from what those environments have to offer.

We will discuss how you and your staff can address a variety of challenging behaviors. You will have an opportunity to share Strategies and Techniques that are effective in your environments and learn from the experiences of other session participants.

Tips From Your Mentor

Tips from your mentor: Clean your House, open your mind

By Suzanne Milligan, Paths to QUALITY Mentor

Child Care Solutions Kokomo, Indiana

As springtime approaches, you may be thinking about spring cleaning. Springtime usually brings on thoughts of new, crisp, refreshing and rejuvenating. According to Prudent Press Agency, clutter and untidiness within each area of your home causes constriction and inertia in the corresponding aspects of your life. In other words, if your home is cluttered, so is your mind in relation to that area.

Clutter in the Kitchen

The kitchen has been called the "heart of the home,"and with good reason. Here we are nourished and provided for, even if we are dining on frozen entrees zapped in the microwave rather than a homemade meal lovingly presented by mom. An untidy and disorganized kitchen makes it hard to nourish yourself and others, on both physical and metaphysical levels. How you care for your kitchen is a clue about whether you are giving proper attention to your own nourishment and sources of abundance. Cleaning up and de-cluttering your kitchen opens up space for you to receive the support and comfort that you need in life.

Living and Dining Room Clutter

These are spaces where you mingle with and honor your relationships with family and friends. Here you engage with the world while being at home through watching television, reading the paper, or arguing politics with old friends over dinner. Clutter can turn these social spaces into dens of isolation, especially if the mess is so bad that it has been years since you've invited people over. Look around your living and dining rooms to see what they say about your relationship with the rest of the world. Are you hiding your true self from others, burying it in clutter, or putting it on display here.

Cluttered Hallways

Hallways are the arteries and highways of your home. Think of clutter in your hallways as a traffic jam that prevents important connections between different areas of your home and you life. Look at your hallways to see how you feel about your life's path; are they well lit and easily navigable, or do the trip you up? If you feel disconnected between work and family, self and other, what you need and your obligations, it may be time to give your hallways a good clearing out.

Cluttered Closets

Closets represent things that are hidden, unknown, or unrecognized. When we fill our closets with clutter, we stifle our ability to be intuitive and insightful. Cluttered closets can indicate problems that you may not be consciously aware of but which impede your progress through life, work, and relationships nonetheless. Keeping the closet door closed is not an effective solution.

Writing a Quality Inclusion Policy

Writing a Quality Inclusion Policy

By Rachel Krug, Inclusion Specialist at 4C of Southern Indiana 



High quality childcare is indicated by the maintenance of a safe learning environment in which all children in care have equal opportunity to explore, to participate in a meaningful way, and to interact with other children and adults in the care setting. Inclusion is not simply about children with special needs; it is responsive care to individual abilities and needs of each child in care. We know that inclusion benefits children, their families, and childcare providers. How do we actively and effectively include all children in our child care settings? A written inclusion policy can help.

The first step to writing  a quality inclusion policy is to think about the principles of inclusion that you need to address specifically in your policy. Principles of inclusion that you will want to consider are access, participation, and support.

When considering access, ask yourself the following questions:

• How does my program make reasonable efforts to enroll all children, especially those with special needs?
• In looking at my learning environment, do all children have access to all learning centers, materials and activities?

When considering participation, ask yourself the following questions:

• How do I encourage all children to participate in meaningful ways with their peers?
• How do I build on each child's strengths to provide for his individual needs?

When considering support, ask yourself the following questions:

• How do I encourage all families to take part in making decisions about their child?
• How do I collaborate with parents and other partners to provide for each child's needs?
• What support do I offer my staff to have the skills to attend to each child's needs?

Another consideration to writing a quality inclusion policy is language used to promote appropriate inclusive practice in your setting. Always use Person-First Language when describing anyone. This focuses on the child and his abilities rather than challenges. For example, use "a child with autism" rather than an "autistic child" or "a child who bites" rather than "a biter." Focus on the strengths rather than challenges. For example, "We welcome children of all abilities" rather than "We welcome children with disabilities."

Finally, write and implement your inclusion policy. Ensure that all of your staff know the policy and guide them to fully include all children by providing for each child's individual needs and strengths while making accommodations for any challenges. 

Easter deviled eggs

Ingredients
Salt and pepper, for taste 1 teaspoon prepared mustard 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish1/4 cup mayonnaise 7 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled Paula Deen Paprika Spice Blend, for garnishingSweet gherkin pickles sliced, for garnishing Pimentos, for garnishing
Directions
Halve 7 eggs lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in a small bowl.
Mash yolks with a fork and stir in mayonnaise, pickle relish, and mustard. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Fill egg whites evenly with yolk mixture. Garnish with paprika, pickles, and pimentos. Store covered in refrigerator.
http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/traditional_southern_deviled_eggs/
http://ohamanda.com/2010/04/12/top-ten-tuesday-yummiest-food-ive-had-in-a-good-long-while/