Beginning Early: Supporting positive behavior for infants and toddlers at risk

Secure attachment develops through the daily experiences and relationships infants and toddlers have with their families and others, including childcare providers. Staff providing care to infants and toddlers enhance this development. Infants who experience positive relationships with caregivers feel more securely attached and learn to trust adults for affection, comfort, protection and guidance. Infants who have not experienced this trust become insecurely attached, which can lead to delayed social/emotional development, often manifested by a variety of challenging behaviors as the child grows and difficulty in identifying, expressing, and coping with emotions. This presentation will consist of an overview of the Positive Behavior Support paradigm, a framework for classroom practice to promote development of social competence and for addressing challenging behaviors in young children. The presentation will also describe the training methodology, participant responses and valuable lessons learned from Head Start programs that have implemented Positive Behavior Support.