Social and Emotional Supports in Preschool Series- Post 2- Kicked Out of Preschool

     The single most popular topics on my blog are related to social/emotion supports and preschool behavior, so I am going to add a series of posts on this topic. I will cover topics such as: the perfectionist in the preschool classroom, ideas for calm spots, simple social storys/how to and why, and more. As challenging as behavior is, it is one of my favorite topics.  I get to do a little detective work to figure out what is causing the behavior and then troubleshoot solutions.  It was a topic that was covered extensively in my graduate school program because it behaviors are causing some concerning trends nationally. 

Article:  Preschoolers Behaving Badly

 http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=4176434&page=1

 Gilliam reported 6.7 expulsions per 1,000 preschoolers in the United States, compared with 2.09 per 1,000 for students in kindergarten through grade 12. In data collected from 2002-2004, rates ranged from zero per 1,000 students in Kentucky to more than 21 in New Mexico.

     So, there are three times more children getting kicked out of preschool.  And if you do a little digging, you learn these are just typical 3 and 4 year-olds.

Article: Preschool Expulsions Explained

 http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/johnson/article/Preschool-expulsions-explained-2669217.php

"Kids are coming into group settings unprepared for the kinds of stimulation and encounters they experience with other children, the environment and staff," said Grace Manning-Orenstein, a psychologist and the director of The Link to Children, known as TLC. The 10-year-old mental health intervention service contracts with child care centers in Oakland, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Emeryville and Pleasanton.
"The expulsion situation we've known about forever," Orenstein added. "At age 3, you are more likely to get the benefit of the doubt, but by 4 or 5 (the centers) just don't want to put up with you anymore."

     These kids are very young and just learning how to resolve conflicts and handle big emotions so it is concerning when the "go to" tool for center owners and directors becomes expulsion.  But in many cases, they just don't have other tools.  Consider these posts part of your teaching tool box!  And if you are experiencing a challenging behavior, please post a comment about it and I just may feature it on my blog. :-)

 

Reducing the call of, "Teacher . . . Teacher" in early childhood settings

     Anyone who works in early childhood settings knows the call of "teacher  . . ." seems to always come when you are in the middle of something you can't walk away from. (Sometimes I swear young children have a radar)  Now, in my previous setting, I worked with 2-3 other teachers. I could easily make eye contact with a coworker and get help.

     In my current setting, I may or may not have an assistant to help me. And I have consistently had issues with a problem escalating before I could intervene. When you work with little ones all day, you start looking for solutions  . . . yesterday.

    I was looking through my go to articles and books on behavior and stumbled and cross this gem.

Http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2011/03/why_preschool_shouldnt_be_like_school.html

     It's long, but here's a summary. Children who are taught exactly how to do things make fewer attempts at problem solving. When teachers present toys and offer minimal assistance, children make significantly more attempts to solve problems on there own.

   This led me to wonder how broadly I could apply it in my setting. Would it work for solving problems like a dispute over toys? A little one who always forgot that he could reach the light if he got the stool? I had to test it.

    I took notes over a week and I discovered my biggest problem was, of course, disputes over toys. So I used two tools (A solution cube and a sand timer) and started my test.

     Solution cue cards: I cut them out, put them on a square tissue box, and covered the sides with
clear contact paper.

http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/ppt/solutkitcuecards.ppt

     So week 1 was "guiding" week. I had done some direct teaching with the solution cube so the kids knew what it was, but the kids were still asking for my help far more often than they were working it out.  Each time a conflict came up, I asked the kids questions (at their level) with the cube nearby.  "she wants a turn. What should we do?"  This got the kids looking at the cube and thinking about options.  And I'm happy to report, two weeks in, there are far less cries of "teacher" over toy disputes.

     I was able to apply this same strategy with two kids who call me into to help them turn reach the light multiple times a day. (There is a stool) As soon as I changed my behavior from showing them how to put the stool in place to asking each time, "what can you use to reach the light?" I stopped getting called to help with the stool.

     I am all for using strategies that make my job a little easier and help young children become critical thinkers in the process. ;-)

Success at the sensory table

     Now that I am running my own program, I get a lot of hands on experience trouble shooting in a preschool program. Over the years, early childhood educators have expressed to me how challenging the sensory table can be. (Think splashing, sand/rice tossing, etc.) and I didn't really understand how challenging it could be with a mixed age preschool group until I had to start implementing my own suggestions.

    Based on my experience this week, some of the strategies work well, and others were not great.  Here is what worked for me:

1.) Know your group.

For example, I had a bubble table this week.  My kids were two and a half, three, and four.  My three and four year old can play independently at the bubble table; the two and a half year old cannot.  Knowing who needs supervision and teaching throughout the activity  (eg: you blow on the bubble wand) goes a long way in preventing problems.

2.) There is no such thing as too much preparation.

I set up the bubbles, put in lots of wands and other toys, and ensured appropriate supervision. Then . . . somebody rubbed bubbles on their face. Guess who didn't have a towel?  Monday I am bringing out a towel and child safety goggles.

3.) Kids at the sensory table.

I have set up the environment so that 3 can comfortably play at the sensory table, and this is the rule I enforce.  In practice, I have found that for dry activities, up to 4 works out. (Depending on the age of your group) For wet sensory activities, I limit the number of children to no more than 3.

4.)  Ample toys in the sensory bin.

Rule of thumb: At least two per child and 2-3 of the favorite toy. Having enough toys in the sensory bin does two things: prevents conflict (not all conflict, their preschoolers) and it encourages them to engage in appropriate play.  Ideally, you want them blowing bubbles with wants not splashing bubbles at each other.

5.) Figuring out why some kids don't participate in sensory activities.

I have one little boy in my class who does not like to get dirty. Today, we explored shaving cream on the outdoor easel and he did not want to participate. I offered him a paintbrush and smock, but he declined and said he just wanted to be able to clean his hands. We solved the problem by taking a water bowl outside. He dipped his hands in every time he wanted to get the shaving cream off. (See photos) It wasn't the solution I would have thought of but it allowed him to participate happily.

So what is the strategy? If a little one if talking, ask how you can help.  If not, think about what you know about the child.  In this case, I knew he didn't like to get messy and would offer ways to allow him to participate and stay as shaving cream free as possible.

If you have any questions please feel free to post a comment  below. :-)