Head Start

When was Head Start developed? By who? Why?

-1965 as a summer program -Lyndon Johnson -part of "War on Poverty"

What are two other small groups?

-Selected Second Step lessons -Incredible Years for Children

How can reactivity be reduced?

-enter non-obtrusively -be a neutral stimulus -position self carefully -shift attention b/w people -reactivity = kids acting differently b/c of observation

Why is this called "social-emotional" rather than mental health now?

-negative connotations/stigma -makes it sound like the kids are mentally ill -kid labeled crazy, psycho, etc.

What is involved in Initial Behavioral Screenings?

-within 45 days -Behavior Observation in class -Brief Teacher Interview -Parent questionnaire (BESS)

What is child mental health referred to at HS?

social-emotional well-being

What were the long-term effects found in Love's study?

-"better prepared for kindergarten than control group" -no difference in academic performance b/w the two groups of children at the end of first grade -fade-out effect coined by Mervis -not measuring up to other programs like Perry preschool or Abecedarian (smaller programs but longer lasting)

What are the advantages and disadvantages of undergrad students implementing HS instead of teachers?

-Advantages: more likely to pay attention to new person, gives teacher a break, good experience for student and supervising GA -Disadvantages: teachers have to make sure student is teaching correctly, teachers not incorporating ideas into their own lessons

When should we start reading to kids?

-American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading to them daily from birth

What is the BESS?

-Behavioral and Emotional Screening System -part of BASC-3 (Behavioral Assessment System for Children) -parent form -identifies children at risk some positively worded items

What was developed in 1995?

-Early Head Start for children 0-3 years old

What types of parent programming are available?

-Incredible Years for Parents -presentations -handouts from CSEFEL (Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning)

What are the two special Head Start programs?

-Migrant Head Start: modified for migrant farm workers that move from place to place following crop harvest -American Indian Head Start: integrate language and culture for Indian reservations in 25 states

What is Selective/Secondary prevention?

-SHARE groups -other small groups, i.e. selective mutism group -whole class teacher consultation: if whole class has issues/majority of class, teacher can help and we can teach them how

What is the Kid Books Project?

-SIUE collected 3,000 books for HS kids -Little Free Library

How would St. Clair County Head Start be described as far as set-up?

-SIUE is the fiscal manager -1000+ children in Head Start and EHS classrooms, as well as home-based -Locations in Cahokia, East STL, Caseyville, Belleville

What are the five components of Second Step?

-Skills for Learning -Empathy -Emotion management -friendship skills and problem solving -transitioning to kindergarten

What were the short-term effects found in Love's study?

-at age 3 years old, higher cognitive and language scores, higher attention, more parent engagement, support, and reading -less spanking and child aggression

What are some policies at HS (look in manual for specific answers)?

-background check -attire -interactions w/ center coordinators and staff -complaints

What does challenging behavior entail?

-behavioral excesses: behaviors kids are doing too much of that need decreasing (hitting, whining, etc.) -social deficits: doesn't know how to ask for what he wants *these can go hand in hand; i.e. hitting because he doesn't know how to ask for what he wants

What is the Incredible Years Teacher Program?

-builds relationships with students -proactive teacher -teacher attention, coaching, encouragement, and praise -motivating students through incentives -decreasing inappropriate behavior through ignoring, redirecting, and consequences -emotion regulation, social skills, and problem solving

What has research shown about Incredible Years?

-children showed more social competence -children showed fewer behavior problems at school and at home

What was added to Head Start in the 1970s?

-children with developmental disabilities were reserved 10% of enrollment in 1972

What are some tips for HS students?

-cluster seating -using songs -child participation -preventing behavior problems: keep kids actively engaged and give labeled/specific praise

What did Zhai's non-randomized Head Start study find?

-compared children in poverty at Head Start vs. not at Head Start at age 5 -Head Start was associated with better cognitive ability and social competence and less attention problems but NOT less internalizing/behavior problems

What is Head Start?

-comprehensive services goal: increase social, emotional, cognitive, and physical competence -family centered: parent involvement encouraged -federally funded -gives resources to children up to 5 years old who are low income/poverty

What did teachers like about HS?

-consistent schedule -reviewed previous lessons -kids learned a lot and used skills -teachers can use concepts

What has research shown regarding Second Step?

-decrease behavior problems, aggression, and internalizing problems -increase prosocial attitudes

When is challenging behavior a good thing?

-defiance: if adult says "hey come help and I'll give you candy" -whining: feel pain, need attention and help -hyperactivity: sports -aggression: in times where child is being threatened and needs to protect self -distractibility: if you're too focused to notice a murderer around you *don't need to eliminate all challenging behavior; know when to use it and when not to

What five things do mental health consultants assist with?

-identify and support children with mental health/social/emotional concerns -assist teachers to improve classroom management -assist other staff, including home visitors -assist in addressing internalizing problems (i.e. anxiety) and externalizing problems (i.e. defiance) -limit suspension and prevent expulsion

When are follow-up behavioral screenings needed? What do they include?

-if there are moderate or significant concerns during initial screen -includes additional observation and interview (no additional parent questionnaire)

What positive effects have other studies found?

-impact on later life success as later school success and early adulthood outcomes -Positive results for school attainment, earnings, and crime reduction in Garces' study -Funding for HS associated with decrease in mortality rate, increase in high school completion and college attendance

What was Love's randomized Early Head Start study?

-looked at 17 EHS programs and had random assignment by family (EHS vs. control group) -included center-based, home-based, and mixed types -most had mother as primary caregiver, 39% of mothers under age 20, and almost half did not get through high school -pretty even mix b/w white, black, and Hispanic

What does Head Start give other than child care?

-medical and dental care -access to social services -paid employment -intellectual stimulation -social competence -governance involvement -nutritious meals *declared by Zigler, a huge proponent of Head Start

What recording method is used in observation?

-narrative -objectively write down any observed disruptive behaviors: aggression, destruction, rule-breaking -antecedents -consequences -i.e. "Claire took toy, Rob hit Claire, Claire cried, Rob was put in time out"

What do teachers think needs improvement?

-no stickers -more energy -less reading -more role play

What does SHARE entail?

-playing with friends -following instructions -paying attention -review and role play -additional practice *largely derived from Second Step lessons - so get extra practice w/ stuff they're already learning

What are some tips for teaching kids to read?

-preview tour of book: what do you think will happen? What is it about? -track reading with a finger -print referencing: use finger to point out aspects of book, such as title, author's name, first page/word to read, direction that reading goes, letters and words, picture cues for the words -ask questions: find the letter "s," how many letters in this word, what letter does this start with, what sound does it make, uppercase or lowercase, find word cat, how many words on page, find word that matches with picture

What are internal referrals? Where do they come from?

-refer them to HS -from behavioral screenings -directly from teachers/parents (teachers and parents can request help w/o screenings)

What does "mental health" really stand for?

-social health (friends) -emotional health (happy) -behavioral health (self-control) -intellectual health (success)

What are some other social-emotional behaviors?

-social withdrawal -isolation -social skills deficits -unusual behaviors: echolalia, repetitive behavior, lack of speech (autism spectrum possible)

What do you talk about in the teacher interview?

-strengths/interests -behavioral? -emotional? -social? -communication? -repetitiveness? -other teacher comments? -ask if they have any social, emotional, or behavioral concerns -how important do they think it is for us to do a follow-up screen?

What four things are involved in universal prevention/health promotion?

-teacher training -parent programming -Second Step Social-Emotional Skills for Early Learning -Early literacy: one way to decrease issues is to teach other skills; the more kids are engaged in reading, the less they are engaged in problematic behaviors

What are some of the Head Start performance standards?

-wellness promotion -provide supports for effective classroom management -secure mental health consultation services obtain parental consent for mental health consultation services at enrollment -built community partnerships to facilitate access to additional mental health resources as needed

What cutoff is used at HS for the BESS?

66+ - if > 1.5 SD above mean from parent form, identified as needing extra help at HS (M = 50, SD = 10

What does SHARE stand for?

Social Health & Academic Readiness Enrichment (art enrichment)

What is Hupp's role at HS?

Social-Emotional Consultant under the Special Services Coordinator -any assistants (GA, practicum, undergrad interns) are social-emotional specialists

What does universal behavioral health promotion mean?

every kid in Head Start gets it and it is proactive; involves screening

What is the sleeper effect?

improved socialization and emotional strength may have later school-related payoffs (so possibly effects fade out then come back)

What else should be written down?

positive behaviors - positive comments that can be mentioned during parent conference

Which form is used in HS?

preschool parent form (3-5 years) *there are also teacher and student forms from preschool and child/adolescent