Using the Pyramid Model for
Promoting Social Emotional
Competence in Young Children
GAPBS Annual Conference
Presented By
Cynthia Vail, PhD, University of Georgia
Katy Gregg, PhD, Georgia Southern University
Rebecca Sartor, MEd, Clarke County Schools
Note on Model and Materials
• Much of these materials are used directly from or adapted
from the following sources:
• Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning -
CSEFEL
• Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention-
TACSEI
Objectives for Today
• Describe social emotional skills necessary for young
children
• Describe the levels of the Pyramid Model for Promoting
Social Emotional Competence
• Discuss measures of fidelity for the pyramid model
• Describe examples of how the pyramid model works in a
school-wide approach
Key Social Emotional Skills Children
Need as They Enter School
• Confidence
• Capacity to develop good
relationships with peers and adults
• Concentration and persistence on
challenging tasks
• Ability to effectively communicate
emotions***
• Ability to listen to instructions and
be attentive
• Ability to solve social problems***
What do children do
when they don’t have
each of these skills?
Challenging Behaviors In the Classroom
When children do
not have these
skills, they often
exhibit
challenging
behaviors.
We must focus
on TEACHING
the skills!
Most challenging
behaviors are used by
children as a way to
communicate
something.
YOU CAN’T NOT
COMMUNICATE
Any behavior that the child
displays or does not display
communicates something.
The
Pyramid
Model
for Supporting
Social Emotional
Competence in
Young Children
Tertiary Intervention:
Few Children
Secondary
Prevention: Some
Children
Universal Promotion:
All Children
Foundational Levels (Primary/Universal):
Promote Children’s Success
• Create an
environment where
EVERY child feels
good about coming to
school.
• Design an
environment that
promotes child
engagement.
Image from K. Gregg – Georgia Southern Child Development
Center
Teaching Social Emotional Skills
(Secondary - Green)
Focus on teaching
children what To Do!
•Teach expectations
and routines.
•Teach skills that
children can use in
place of challenging
behaviors.
Teaching Social Emotional Skills
(Secondary– Green)
Intensive, Individualized Interventions
(Tertiary – Red)
Basics of Challenging Behaviors
• Children often use challenging
behavior when they don’t have
the social or communication skills
they need to engage in more
appropriate interactions.
• If you can figure out the
• Behavior that persists over time is
• Form: Running from circle
usually working for the child.
• We need to focus on teaching
children what to do in place of the
challenging behavior.
form & the function, you
will have a better idea of
where to start working
with the child to replace
the behavior.
• For Example:
time
• Function?
• Escape or Attention
I’m bored, I’m frustrated, I
wanted that toy, I want you
to chase me, etc.
Importance of Team Approach
• Collaboration with all involved
• Family support & input, including data collection
• Consider health, home, environment, and family dynamics
Fidelity Measures for the Pyramid Model
• Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT) (Fox,
Hemmeter, & Snyder)(soon to be published by Brookes)
• Designed to measure the practices of teachers using the pyramid
model in preschool classrooms
• The Pyramid Infant-Toddler Observation Scale
(TPITOS)(Carta, et al.) (under field testing)
• Designed to measure the practices of teachers and caregivers in
Infant/Toddler classrooms
TPOT & TPITOS
• Both tools use a combination of observation, interview-
informed and judgment-based rating scales.
• Both tools require a minimum of a 2 hour observation
period.
• TPOT does not include meal times or outdoor time
• TPITOS includes all routines
• Both tools are designed to support professional
development and can measure growth over time.
Old Way – New Way
Old Way
New Way
• General intervention
• Intervention matched
for all behavior
challenges
• Intervention is reactive
• Focus on behavior
reduction
• Quick fix
to purpose of the
behavior
• Intervention is
proactive
• Focus on teaching new
skills
• Long term
interventions
Challenges and Triumphs of School Wide
Implementation
Triumphs
• It works!!
• Higher assessment scores and overall student behavior
• Higher success rates of children in kindergarten
Challenges and Triumphs of School Wide
Implementation
Challenges
• Time for training and planning
• Funding for support personnel
Where to start when I leave here?
• Start with a Self-Assessment
• The Inventory of Practices for Promoting Children's Social
Emotional Competence
“If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we…
… teach?… punish?”
“Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as
we do the others?”
–Tom Herner (NASDE President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2