PYRAMID PLUS: THE COLORADO CENTER FOR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE AND INCLUSION

An Introduction for Communities

Special Thanks to Pyramid Plus FundersDepartment of Human Services

Division of Child Care Division for Developmental Disabilities,

Early Intervention Program (Part C) Division of Behavioral Health Division of Child Welfare

The Colorado Health FoundationThe Temple Hoyne Buell FoundationMile High United Way

Local Community Funders and Supporters

• 2009-ECC & RE1J awarded $10,000 over 4 yrs from CDE for TA to support preschoolers on IEPs

• 2010-PMLT formed by: EC Centers (5), RE1J (5), CW (2), MH (2), EC Home (1), Higher Ed (1), ECC (2)

• 2011-El Pomar’s San Juan Regional Foundation grant-$20k grants after Joan presented ECC Strategic Plan

• Pending Gunnison/Hinsdale Early Childhood Council $2500 (RTTT-Early Learning State?)

• 1 Certified Trainer & 1 Coach Certification Candidate

• Library offers Pyramid supported books/parent media

Presentation Objectives

• Participants will understand the history and role of The Pyramid Plus Center

• Participants will understand the tiered supports available for scale up and sustainability in communities

• Participants will understand where they are and where they are going in their community

• Participants will understand how Pyramid can support their agency.

Pyramid Plus Center Overall Goal to ensure the high fidelity

implementation in early care and education services of two national models:

• Pyramid Model for Promoting Social and Emotional Competence of Infants and Young Children [Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL); Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Interventions (TACSEI)]

• SpecialQuest Birth-Five Approach to Early Childhood Inclusion of children with or at risk for disabilities with other related evidence-based inclusion practices (Building Blocks, LEAP, etc.)

Pyramid Plus Center Objectives 1. Support state collaboration, interagency

teamsSupport state policy teamPartner with other initiativesLiaison with national centers

2. Provide Training and Technical Assistance for

Communities, childcare providers, familiesCertification for coaches and trainersCertification of Pyramid Plus programs

3. Establish rigorous evaluation systemsData that inform programs / communitiesPlan for sustainabilityEngage in effective management

Prevalence Data

• Faculty in higher education early childhood programs report that their graduates are least likely to be prepared to work with children with persistently challenging behavior. (Hemmeter, Santo & Ostrosky, 2004)

• Preschool children are three times more likely to be “expelled” than children in grades K-12. (Gilliam, 2005)

• There are evidence-based practices that are effective in changing this developmental trajectory…the problem is not what to do, but rests in ensuring access to intervention and support. (Kazdin & Whitley, 2006)

Colorado - Fiscal Factors

• In Colorado, it costs $433 for one year of mental health consultation (prevention plus early intervention) versus: • $1,488 for one month in a child placement

agency foster home• $760 for two days in a psychiatric

residential treatment facility • $2,878 for two weeks in youth corrections

Denver Department of Education

Colorado Statistics

• In Colorado it is estimated that 10 in every 10,000 children under the age of six are removed from early care and education settings for behavior issues, a rate three times higher than the state’s K-12 expulsion rate

• Over 21% of Colorado parents of children ages 6 and younger have concerns about their child’s emotions, concentration, behavior or getting along with others. Of these parents, 79% had never accessed counseling or treatment.

Denver Department of Education

Colorado Statistics

Of Colorado’s 350,000 children under the age of 6, approximately 31,500 are estimated to have serious emotional disturbances

Approximately 4000 of these children received mental health services through Colorado’s public mental health system

Division of Behavioral Health’s Prevalence Estimates for Colorado Study (2006); Colorado Department of Human Services January 2008

Why is This Important to Implement in My Community?• Do you believe these 2 national models

are important to implement with high fidelity? Why?

• School readiness in SE skills is a driving factor in our underserved/at-risk populations.

• NPP & NFP use evidence-based models too

• Gunnison is known for great collaboration: (ie. HB1451/OG, ECC, Partners Plus, GCSAAP)

Community Data

• 2009 ECC Community Assessment: 500 licensed child care spots for 1,000 children aged 0-5; CMH reported 1/yr accessed mental health

• Gunnison’s only designated ECMH consultant works out of Montrose CMH office and is remotely able to consult in Gunnison

• Current RE1J school counselor:student ratio is 1:450 (ASCA recommends 1:250)

• According to CO statistics (1/10,000 expelled) so we may have experienced 1 expulsion/1,000

From Pyramid Model to Pyramid Plus Center in Colorado 2001, US Head Start and Child Care Bureaus

funded the Center on Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) and the US Dept of Education funded the Technical Assistance Center for Social Emotional Interventions (TACSEI)

2005, CO selected as a CSEFEL/Pyramid Model state; the interagency Pyramid Model Partnership (PMP) was formed

2006 - 07, the PMP and CDE trained 350 people and 13 coaches trained and selected three demonstration sites

2008, CO selected as SpecialQuest State. SpecialQuest interagency state team established trainers and built upon a network of programs and communities

Pyramid Work History (continued) 2008 – 2009,  Colorado Partnership for Families

and Children funded by Buell Foundation for continued support of Pyramid

Pyramid and SpecialQuest Team members proposed a state center to combine professional development efforts, scale up and sustain the work statewide

RFP was issued and granted to UCD with support from Child Care, Developmental Disabilities/Part C, and Behavioral Health

October 1, 2009, Pyramid Plus: the Colorado Center for Social Emotional Competence and Inclusion was launched

Additionally, CDE was awarded a five year (2009-2014) grant from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

This supports Pyramid Model work in preschools for

children with disabilities.

Recent Pyramid Plus Center

2010, Pyramid Plus received a grant from The Colorado Health Foundation; a three year extension was granted in Fall 2011

2011, Pyramid Plus and Division of Child Welfare partnered on a community sustainability project

2012, Pyramid Plus received funding from The Temple Hoyne

Buell Foundation and Mile High United Way

Community History with Pyramid Work

• Fall ’09-Discussion began b/w ECC & RE1J w/ TA from CDE & PPC

• Mar ’10-ECC Strategic Plan includes Pyramid Implementation from ’09 Community Assessment

• A PLT was organized and Stepping Stones committed to implementation of Pyramid and be the fiscal manager.

• Aug ’10-ECC hosts a preschool Module Training in CB

• ’11-13-Certification of 2 Trainers & 2 Coach Candidates for sustainability (1Trainer & 1 Coach Candidate remain)

• 2012-Merged ECC-SEMH/PLT teams

Pyramid Plus Center Values

Our Technical Assistance (TA) efforts must be based on the best available evidence and be affordable, feasible, acceptable and effective across diverse populations of children, families, communities and programs, including typical early childhood settings

The outcomes of TA efforts must be valued by families and by the community Our work must be collaborative, building on and embedding the work of others Families, community leaders and program personnel including administrators

and direct service personnel play a vital role in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Center’s efforts

Practices intended to improve social, emotional, and behavioral development and promote inclusion are designed primarily to enhance competencies

rather than remediate problems of children, families, and personnel

What are your agency values when it comes to children and young families?

IntensiveIntervention

Targeted SocialEmotional Supports

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Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Emotional Competence and Addressing Challenging Behavior

Carroll, Jessica

I wonder if it would make sense to put this slide before the history, between the current slides 7 & 8, or 8 & 9? When participants enter into this training with zero knowledge of what the Pyramid Model actually is, I feel it is important to give a short description of what it is early on. This could make the history/evolution of Pyramid Plus make more sense. I copied/pasted the notes that come directly from the same slide in Session 1.

Pivotal Concepts

Tiered approaches that promote outcomes for all children (Pyramid Model, Inclusion Model, TA Model) (Universal, Targeted, Intensive)

Evidence-based practices (EBP) (see definition in next slide)

Teaching to fidelity: implementing practices or interventions as intended by the developer (typically takes coaching to achieve)

Scaling-up: bringing the practice or model to more programs and families

Sustainability: continuing the high fidelity implementation over a sustained period of time

Evidence-based Practices

TACSEI definition: interventions and supports that have research

documenting their effectiveness approaches that are linked to positive outcomes

for children and families practices that have been demonstrated as

effective within multiple research studies with similar outcomes

Fidelity

Fidelity of implementation is the extent to which an intervention (including its content and process) is implemented in comparison to its intended design Amount of intervention received

(dosage/exposure) What the intervention approach looks like when

it is implemented (quality) How much participants respond to, or are

engaged by, an intervention (participant responsiveness)

Fidelity measures (tools) report the degree of implementation variance from the intended design of the intervention strategy

Pyramid Plus Technical Assistance (TA) ApproachTiered: Universal: available to anyone = website,

information resource, electronic newsletter, webinars, etc.

Targeted: tailored to specific groups = teachers, caregivers, service providers, administrators, coaches, demonstration sites, trainers, communities, and families

Intensive: face-to-face TA = coach, trainer, and demonstration site certification candidates

Pyramid Plus Approach: UniversalWebsite - www.pyramidplus.org

• Pyramid Plus Center Staff Information• State Team Member Information• Links to state and national technical assistance resources• Webinars on selected topics open to public• Information regarding social emotional development,

challenging behavior, and inclusion practices• Certified Trainers, Coaches and programs • Links / contact information to relevant local, regional and

state resources• Trainer and Coach Certification information and

applications• Pyramid Plus Center Annual Report• Information on Pyramid Plus Center and Pyramid Plus

Approach• Statewide / Community Pyramid Plus Approach certified

training information • Information on data systems and data based decision

making• Other resources

NEW: Pyramid Plus Approach TrainingPyramid Modules Pyramid Plus Approach

Target Audience

Classroom Teachers, Program Administrators, Early Intervention Providers, Mental Health Providers

Plus: Health Providers, Parents, Home Care Providers, Community Members, Child Welfare

Content Organized around CSEFEL Pyramid modules either Infant/Toddler or Preschool (two strands)

Organized across the birth – 5 years developmental continuum (one general session)

Materials

Based on CSEFEL &TACSEI Based on CSEFEL, TACSEI, SpecialQuest, Building Blocks, LEAP, PTR-YC, and other evidence based practices

Examples

Primarily Center Based Infant, Toddler & Preschool Center, Home & Community

Training Materials

Accessible from handbook and websites to create your own trainings

Prepared materials ‘chunked’ for ease and flexibility of scheduling (18 sessions)

Follow up webinars

Focused around certification requirements / needs only

Specific content based on participant needs

Pyramid Plus Approach

Community Data

• 80 participants in the PPA trainings in the last 2 years it’s been offered.

• 411 children and their families are being impacted by the Pyramid Plus Approach Trainings that are provided in the counties.

• One of our sites showed their areas of performance and structure on the TPOT is now at a high quality

• 2011-12 Benchmarks of Quality show lots of room for improvement.

Pyramid Plus TA Approach: Targeted

• Trainer Certification• Coach Certification • Demonstration Site Certification (4 site

certified)• Partnership with Implementation

Communities and Programs

Process for Pyramid Plus Certified Trainers and Coaches

• Must have attended all 18 Pyramid Plus Approach sessions ‘in order’ as first step to certification

• Pay fee and sign agreement to meet all requirements within 1 calendar year (coaching and/or training requirements)

• Participate in an on-going individualized professional development plan, observations, self evaluations, feedback, webinars, and other training/support from Pyramid Plus staff

• Coach and Trainer certification candidates must complete and score at required levels on all coach or trainer activities

• Expectation: 20% FTE for Pyramid Plus work (Coach)

Certification Benefits for Trainers and Coaches

• Direct on-site support to trainer or coach candidate• Professional development plan created for each

trainer or coach candidate • Video and on-site observations give trainer or

coach candidate feedback • Monthly web-based trainings to enhance training or

coaching• List of Pyramid Plus Certified Trainers and Coaches

posted on the Pyramid Plus website for assisting programs and communities

• Certification - part of a career ladder • Electronic access to Pyramid Plus Approach

materials • Be providers of Developmental Intervention and

Social/Emotional intervention

Pyramid Plus Certified Demonstration SitesThere are four certified Demonstration Sites in Colorado• TA in establishing and maintaining a

Leadership Team • On-site certification coach and trainer

support• Data collection systems and analysis on

high fidelity, program wide implementation, individual classroom performance, and child outcomes

• On-going professional development on inclusion and reducing challenging behaviors

• Family and community involvement (e.g. trainings, public relations, and roll out events)

Implementation Communities

Implementation Communities selected through a request for proposal (RFP) process receive free Pyramid Plus Approach Training and Technical Assistance

Components: Community Leadership Training and Coaching Infrastructure

(certification required) Local childcare program to serve as an

Implementation Program Community readiness and resources for

sustainability

Go to www.pyramidplus.org for more information

Pyramid Plus CenterTA Approach: IntensiveShort Term:

• Certify current Coaches, Trainers, and Demonstration Sites who are enrolled in the certification process

• Provide training as first step to certification to new coaches/trainers/programs

• Work with Implementation Communities and Programs

• Build upon current resources for information requests and referrals

Long Term: Build state and local capacity through certified Pyramid Plus trainers, coaches, and programs

Pyramid Plus State Policy Team

• Vision: All early childhood settings support the social and emotional development and inclusion of all children birth through five

• Mission: To promote a collaborative professional development system that fosters and sustains the state-wide, high-fidelity use of the Pyramid Model and SpecialQuest Approach, with other related evidence-based practices integrated with relevant Colorado efforts

State Team Representative Agencies Colorado Department of Human Services

Child Welfare Services Early Intervention Colorado Child Care/EC Councils

Colorado Department of Education Preschool Education and Child Find Office of Early Learning and School Readiness 

JFK Partners/University of Colorado

Qualistar Colorado

Office of the Lt. Governor

Higher Education

Pyramid Plus Center Sustainability

Contact Us

Pyramid Plus: the Colorado Center for Social Emotional Competence and Inclusion

University of Colorado Denver1380 Lawrence Street, Suite 643Denver, CO 80204pyramidplus@ucdenver.eduwww.pyramidplus.org

Join us on Facebook

Community Contact

• Margaret Wacker, ECC Coordinator, mwacker@gunnisoncounty.org tel: (970) 641 7913

• PPA Trainings: Jane Maloney (970) 641-7770 or next 3-day training is in Denver this Fall.

• FAQ on the PPC website for those interested in learning more about trainer/coach certifications

QUESTIONS????