Utah Systems Conference 2019

This is an introductory session on Building Blocks for Teaching Preschoolers with Special Needs. This guide is easy to use with any existing curriculum. Building Blocks gives educators three types of practical, research-based inclusion strategies that promote progress in critical areas like behavior, emergent literacy and peer relationships.

The session will clearly explain the importance of utilizing Positive Behavior Supports in the preschool classroom and why they are essential in creating a high-quality preschool class. Prevent, Teach, Reinforce is supported by research and and aligns with the use of Positive Behavior Supports in the process of behavior change. It supports and demonstrates the importance of utilizing classroom-wide strategies first, teaching replacement behaviors, and using positive reinforcement even in early childhood settings. The Instructor will provide you with useful strategies that can easily be implemented into the classroom, examples, demonstration videos, and useful handouts.

This session will provide a hierarchy of teaching phonological skills and demonstrate some strategies for teaching these skills to young learners.

The session will clearly explain the importance of utilizing Positive Behavior Supports in the preschool classroom and why they are essential in creating a high-quality preschool class. Prevent, Teach, Reinforce is supported by research and and aligns with the use of Positive Behavior Supports in the process of behavior change. It supports and demonstrates the importance of utilizing classroom-wide strategies first, teaching replacement behaviors, and using positive reinforcement even in early childhood settings. The Instructor will provide you with useful strategies that can easily be implemented into the classroom, examples, demonstration videos, and useful handouts.

Rates of anxiety and depression are increasing even in early childhood and we know that anxiety, depression and aggression are the results of poor emotional regulation. We also know that preschoolers are just learning to identify their emotions and those around them as well as understand and follow established rules of behavior. This session will focus on creating a safe and healthy environment that addresses trauma-informed care as well as helping preschoolers learn to recognize, label, and express emotions appropriately through teaching self regulation strategies and setting up Cozy Corner/ Wellness Centers in each classroom with intentional materials that help students learn calming strategies.

This session will begin by defining family engagement and explaining the difference between family involvement and engagement. We will then discuss the principles of effective family engagement as defined by ESSA and NAEYC. We will discuss engaging families from various socio-economic backgrounds. We will share the lessons that we have learned from incorporating family engagement into our preschool program over the past 7 years. We will explore the various family engagement opportunities that our program has found successful; namely initial contact, home visits, assessments/conferences, open house, family engagement nights, social media, take-home library books. parent advisory councils, parent evaluations, newsletters, and incorporating technology. Participants will leave with a plan to implement effective family engagement opportunities into their program.

To ensure widespread use of evidence-based practices and the inclusion of typical peers in preschool classrooms, Utah adopted The Utah Early Childhood Technical Assistance Project: Reaching Potential through Recommended Practices (ECTA: RP2) initiative. The mission of the Utah ECTA State Leadership Team is to provide teachers with professional development through training and coaching to improve effective teaching practices that will have meaningful impact on student learning in school and community preschools statewide (State Leadership Team Annual Report, 2016). RP2 uses the State Benchmarks of Quality to assess progress and plan future actions so that selected evidence-based practices are available for providers and families statewide. The Benchmarks are grounded in implementation science, which bridges the gap between an evidence based practice and the high-fidelity implementation of that practice (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center, May 2018). Wasatch County School District is beginning its third year of the RP2 initiative. Learn how Wasatch’s preschool teams have worked to improve family engagement, instruction, interaction, and environment, while supporting the MTSS framework and serving the whole child.