PBS-ECEC

Implementing Positive Behaviour Support in Early Childhood Education and Care

Overview and Objectives

The need to create effective European schoolwide frameworks that promote social inclusion and academic engagement has been at the centre of several EU policy reports. The EU 2020 strategy gives high priority to strengthen educators’ profession, prevent early school leaving and promote social inclusion. Empirical research shows that when School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) is implemented systematically and with fidelity for at least 2-3 consecutive years, behavioural problems decrease (20 – 60%), student achievement improves, school climate becomes more positive and safer among children and staff, bullying behaviour decreases, and student social competence improves (Barrett et al. 2008; Muscott et al., 2008). A transnational consortium of 5 partners from 4 EU countries, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, initiated the idea for the “PBS-ECEC: Implementing Positive Behaviour Support in Early Childhood Education and Care” project after conducting relevant research, participating in conferences and discussions with local, national, and European stakeholders. Partners reported that the success of early childhood education and care setting as an effective inclusive learning environment rests in part on establishing a social context that promotes and supports positive relationships between educators and children, student socio-emotional competence and academic engagement for all. The project served the basic need of all partners and their respective target groups to effectively address behaviour problems from the very early years of children’s education, by building learners’ socioemotional competence to learn in a socially inclusive environment.

The specific objectives of the project were:

Training school-based teams to deliver key elements of SWPBS to staff and children;
Producing educator training manuals to teach children schoolwide social expectations;
Developing a web-based space to disseminate project activities for effective communication, use and sustainability among consortium partners and others.

Activities/Outputs

Through collaboration between ECEC centres and academic institutions in Europe, PBS-ECEC focused on applying a programme-wide approach to promote children’s socioemotional competence. Specifically, the project examined the design and implementation of PW-PBS across ECEC settings, with specific emphasis on: (a) training centre-based teams to deliver key elements of PW-PBS to the other professional of the centres; (b) producing educator training manuals regarding the evidence-based practices to develop socioemotional competence and to respond to challenging behaviour, and (c) developing a web-based space to disseminate project activities for effective communication, use and sustainability among consortium partners and others.

Impact

The project outcomes had multiple benefits in early childhood education and beyond. It operated as a preventative means of children’s school failure and problem behaviours. The project results strengthened teacher education and training, and provided evidence-based practices for promoting socioemotional development in ECEC, a crucial dimension in child development and wellbeing, and a transversal domain in all partner countries. In line with the partners’ work and objectives, the project supported educators to expand their knowledge and skills in this topic, improve their capacities to learn, collaborate, and better serve their target groups in their respective countries. The project results were shared with a wide audience, were freely accessible, and, specifically, equiped the teachers with the necessary competences to apply SWPBS to build inclusive ECEC that promoted key socioemotional competence. The results of this project ensured a free and accessible way to gain knowledge and skills surrounding positive behavioural interventions and support for all early childhood providers in the country and beyond.

Partners

The project team involved institutions across four European countries including: Instituto Politécnico do Porto (Portugal), Centre for Advancement of Research and Development in Educational Technology (Cyprus), International Hellenic University (Greece), Institute of Child Education and Psychology Europe (Ireland) and Institute of Development (Cyprus).