Steps For ECE Providers to Support All Young Children to Thrive
What is the appropriate course of action when a young child exhibits challenging behaviors in your early childhood education setting?
Tier 1
Foundational Readiness
Before moving into Step 1, programs must ensure that foundational systems and supports are in place. This ensures that the identification of challenging behavior is grounded in equitable, informed, and legally compliant practices. This stage is not about labeling behavior—it is about preparation, reflection, and readiness.
- Family Intake & Partnership: Family intake and engagement completed, including a strengths-based conversation with caregivers about the child's background, interests, and needs.
- Program Readiness Review: Program has reviewed its observation and assessment protocols to ensure consistent, bias-aware documentation of child behaviors.
- Resource Awareness: Program leaders and teachers have access to internal and external supports, including mental health consultants, family engagement specialists, and tiered intervention resources.
- Tier 1 Strategies: Universal (Tier1) support and strategies - such as nurturing relationships, predictable routines, and positive guidance - are implemented program-wide.
- Professional Development & Coaching: Staff have participated in relevant training or coaching to strengthen their capacity to prevent and respond to challenging behaviors effectively.
- Pyramid Model Consortium Offers tools and assessments for programs and teachers, such as the Informed Care Checklist and leadership-level resources, to evaluate program fidelity to trauma-informed and inclusive practices.
- Education Law Center - Fact Sheet on Exclusionary Practices - Provides legal guidance to ensure providers understand which exclusionary practices are prohibited under Pennsylvania and federal law.
- Strengthening Families Framework - Includes strategies for building protective factors and partnering with families.
Step 1: Identify Behavior
Does the child exhibit challenging behavior?
YES:
Director ensures Tier 1 Supports are in place throughout all classrooms.
NOTE: Tier 1 Supports are universal strategies and practices provided to all children within an early learning environment to promote positive behavior, social-emotional development, and academic readiness. These supports include nurturing relationships, consistent routines, clear expectations, inclusive teaching practices, and proactive classroom management. Tier 1 is the foundation of a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) and is designed to meet the needs of the majority of children without requiring individualized intervention.
NO:
Observe and document patterns to identify developmental or emotional needs. Use this data to guide supportive strategies.
NOTE: Challenging behaviors are behaviors that interfere with a child's learning, development, or well-being, or that negatively impact the learning environment for others. These behaviors may include persistent aggression, defiance, withdrawal, tantrums, or difficulty with transitions. Challenging behaviors are often signals that a child is experiencing unmet needs, developmental delays, or emotional stress and may benefit from additional support or intervention. Challenging behaviors could include: defiance/noncompliance, aggression, tantrums, impulsivity/hyperactivity, disruptive behaviors, property destruction, etc.
Step 2: Behavioral Incidents
Does the child exhibit challenging behaviors with Tier 1 Supports in place?
YES:
Move to step 3
NO:
Document incidents as learning opportunities. Include reflection on what supports are offered and what adjustments are needed.
Step 3: Notify Parent/Caretaker
Has the director informed the parent/caretaker about the challenging behavior?
YES:
Continue to document all interactions and Move to to Step 4 for team planning and action.
NO:
Partner with Parent/Caretaker- The classroom teacher initiates the first two-way conversation with the parent/caretaker and then brings in the Director (or follows the program's internal process involving both roles) to ensure consistent communication moving forward.
NOTE: Communication Documentation - Director Responsibilities:
- Date and time of the conversation
- Names and roles of all parties involved
- Key information shared with the parent/caretaker
- Parent/caretaker response or feedback
All documentation should be stored securely and maintained in a confidential file in accordance with program policies.
Step 4: Develop a Plan
Has the child exhibited a pattern of significant behavioral incidents in the past month?
YES:
The director and teachers will hold an internal meeting to discuss and develop specific strategies to support the child, which will be shared with the family.
- Engage available resources and supports early, such as Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC), behavioral health consultants, or inclusion specialists, to strengthen the implementation of strategies from the outset.
- Revisit Pyramid Model resources to guide planning using relevant tools such as the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT) or Informed Care Checklist to ensure strategies align with best practices.
- Director/Teacher team establishes timelines and measurable goals (minimum of three weeks) to implement identified strategies consistently. These goals are documented in an action plan.
- Director schedules a collaborative meeting with parent/caretaker to review the plan, share strategies, and invite input.
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The action plan should include:
- Specific strategies for classroom support and family engagement.
- Defined timelines for implementation and progress review.
- Follow-up and reflection checkpoints to monitor outcomes and adjust supports as needed.
- Connect families with relevant community and family support resources, such as mental health consultants, Strengthening Families programs, or local family resource centers.
NO:
Continue to monitor and assess using observation data and family input. Return to Step 1 if new concerns emerge.
Step 5: Continued Behavior and Adherence to Action Plan
After observing the child for about three weeks, have you noticed any significant changes in their behavior since implementing the plan?
YES:
The program and family will continue to collaborate to support the child's growth, following and refining the action plan and/or IEP/IFSP.
- Reassess and Update: The action plan will be reviewed with the family and updated to include recommendations from relevant specialists such as Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC), Rapid Response or other community-based supports.
- Ongoing Individualized Planning: Educators and administrators will continue to adapt individualized strategies based on data, family feedback, and child progress.
- Support and Stability: Additional classroom, staffing, or coaching supports should be provided as needed to ensure the plan is implemented with fidelity.
- Continuous Monitoring: Progress will be documented and reviewed regularly with families and staff, maintaining inclusion and classroom stability while avoiding suspension or expulsion.
NO:
If there has been limited or no improvement within the agreed-upon timelines, the program will continue with families and relevant specialists to strengthen the plan.
- Reassess and Strengthen Supports: the action plan will be revisited to identify gaps, integrate recommendations from IECMHC, Rapid Response, or other specialists, and refine strategies for implementation.
- Partner and Refer: The director will assist families in accessing appropriate referrals—such as Elwyn, Community Behavioral Health (CBH), or the child's pediatrician—and coordinate communication to ensure wraparound support.
- Follow-Up and Reflection: A follow-up meeting will be scheduled to review new strategies, evaluate progress, and adjust the plan collaboratively.
Note: The emphasis at this stage remains on individualized planning, not disciplinary action. Suspension or expulsion should not be considered unless all available supports have been exhausted and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Step 6: Identifying Next Steps When Tier 1 Supports Are Not Sufficient
Are the child's needs being met through Tier 1 classroom strategies and individualized interventions?
YES:
Continue implementing the individualized action plan and documenting progress.
- Maintain ongoing communication with families and specialists.
- Monitor and adjust strategies as needed through the team review process.
- Celebrate and document progress, and revisit earlier steps periodically to ensure continued success.
NO:
If the child's needs are not being met through Tier 1 strategies and individualized interventions, the program should access additional layers of support and, if necessary, address any immediate safety concerns collaboratively.
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Engage Specialized Supports:
- Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) - for in-the-moment coaching, behavior de-escalation, reflective supervision, and strategy planning.
- Rapid Response Services - for urgent behavioral, environmental, or safety-related support.
- Early Intervention (EI) or the child's IEP/IFSP team - to integrate developmental, behavioral, and family-centered supports.
- Conduct a Safety and Environment Review: Identify and modify classroom triggers, routines, or physical factors contributing to challenges.
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Collaborate with the Family: Convene a multidisciplinary team meeting with family and relevant specialists to develop or update an individualized support and stabilization plan.
- Clearly define short-term goals, safety measures, and progress monitoring steps.
- Maintain family partnership as central to all decisions.
- Document All Actions and Outcomes: Ensure alignment with program policies, OCDEL guidance, and legal protections against exclusionary practices.
NOTE: Suspension refers to the temporary reduction of services or conditional attendance for a child due to behavioral or developmental concerns. This may include shortened hours, specific days of attendance, or being asked to stay home until certain conditions are met, rather than full removal from the program.
Step 7: Ensuring Inclusion and Sustained Support
Has the team exhausted all available supports and collaborative strategies to meet the child's needs while maintaining safety and inclusion?
YES:
If all available supports have been implemented, and the child's needs still cannot be safely or effectively met within the current setting, the program must:
- Engage Oversight and Legal Guidance Early: Contact OCDEL, Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC), or Rapid Response to review the case before any decisions about program transition are made.
- Prohibit Discriminatory Exclusion: Providers must ensure that no action taken could result in unlawful discrimination against children with disabilities or suspected disabilities under ADA, Section 504, or IDEA.
- Document and Review: Maintain documentation of all prior interventions, specialist recommendations, and team decisions.
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Collaborative Transition (if absolutely necessary):
- If a change in setting is unavoidable and consistent with legal guidance, develop a warm handoff plan with the receiving program, ensuring continuity of care, family partnership, and service access.
- Include a reintegration plan should the child later return to the original program when supports are strengthened.
- Provide Families With Resources: Share written documentation of all supports attempted and offer connections to community resources such as Elwyn, CBH, or IECMHC, to ensure continued support.
Important Note:
Suspension or expulsion of children from early learning programs should be considered only after every inclusive, trauma-informed, and legally compliant support option has been implemented and reviewed with oversight agencies.
NO:
Continue building on the individualized action plan and leverage all relevant supports to strengthen inclusion.
- Collaborate with Specialists: Re-engage Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC), Rapid Response, Early Intervention (EI) or IEP/IFSP teams, and other specialists to review progress and co-develop next steps.
- Expand the Circle of Support: Consider including the family's pediatrician, behavioral health providers, or family advocates in team meetings to create a comprehensive support network.
- Review Policies and Environment: Evaluate classroom practices, staffing patterns, and environmental conditions that may be contributing to challenges. Adjust schedules, expectations, and adult supports before considering any changes to the child's enrollment.
- Ongoing Communication: Maintain transparent, compassionate communication with the family, ensuring they are partners in all decisions.
Step 8: Additional Support
If you've exhausted all possibilities and don't know what your next step should be, send an email to info@childrenfirstpa.org and we'll try to help.