Brenda Jones Harden

The highly anticipated follow-up to Unpacking the Pyramid Model, this one-of-a-kind book is the first to provide a comprehensive, step-by-step overview of the widely used Pyramid Model Practices for infants and toddlers from birth to three. With this accessible training guide, teachers and providers will use research-based practices to meet the unique needs of infants and toddlers—and boost their social-emotional development in the critical first years of life. Created by the Pyramid Model developers and experts with extensive training experience, this book gives readers a complete introduction to the framework, plus in-depth guidance, evidence-based practices, and helpful checklists for implementing all levels of the Pyramid Model: universal, targeted, and individualized. Teachers and providers will learn how to:Address their own well-being to prepare for their important workBuild positive partnerships with families and colleaguesDevelop predictable and responsive schedules, routines, and transitionsPromote children’s social skills and emotional competenciesSupport children’s active engagement with their environment and peersCreate an anti-racist and inclusive early care environmentMeet the needs of young children who have experienced traumaUnderstand, prevent, and effectively respond to challenging behaviorProvide individualized support for children with persistent needs related to social-emotional developmentand behaviorUse data to monitor Pyramid Model practice implementation and effectsIdeal for use in preservice and inservice training, this book will expertly prepare infant–toddler teachers and providers to give the youngest children a strong foundation of social-emotional competence. Practical Materials: Checklists of Effective Practices for each main topic covered; tools for observation, planning, and reflection; vignettes and photos illustrating classroom examples.

Helping vulnerable children develop their full potential is an attractive idea with broad common-sense appeal. However, child well-being is a broad concept, and the legislative mandate for addressing well-being in the context of the current child welfare system is not particularly clear. This volume asserts that finding a place for well-being on the list of outcomes established to manage the child welfare system is not as easy as it first appears. The overall thrust of this argument is that policy should be evidence-based, and the available evidence is a primary focus of the book. Because policymakers have to make decisions that allocate resources, a basic understanding of incidence in the public health tradition is important, as is evidence that speaks to the question of what works clinically. The rest of the book addresses the evidence. Chapter 2 integrates bio-ecological and public health perspectives to give the evidence base coherence. Chapters 3 and 4 combine evidence from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, the Multistate Foster Care Data Archive, and the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being to offer an unprecedented profile of children as they enter the child welfare system. Chapters 5 and 6 address the broad question of what works. A concluding chapter focuses on policy and future directions, suggesting that children starting out, children starting school, and children starting adolescence are high-risk populations for which explicit strategies have to be formed. This timely volume offers useful insights into the child welfare system and will be of particular interest to policymakers, academics with an interest in Child Welfare Policy, Social Work educators, and Child Advocates.

Helping vulnerable children develop their full potential is an attractive idea with broad common-sense appeal. However, child well-being is a broad concept, and the legislative mandate for addressing well-being in the context of the current child welfare system is not particularly clear. This volume asserts that finding a place for well-being on the list of outcomes established to manage the child welfare system is not as easy as it first appears. The overall thrust of this argument is that policy should be evidence-based, and the available evidence is a primary focus of the book. Because policymakers have to make decisions that allocate resources, a basic understanding of incidence in the public health tradition is important, as is evidence that speaks to the question of what works clinically. The rest of the book addresses the evidence. Chapter 2 integrates bio-ecological and public health perspectives to give the evidence base coherence. Chapters 3 and 4 combine evidence from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, the Multistate Foster Care Data Archive, and the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being to offer an unprecedented profile of children as they enter the child welfare system. Chapters 5 and 6 address the broad question of what works. A concluding chapter focuses on policy and future directions, suggesting that children starting out, children starting school, and children starting adolescence are high-risk populations for which explicit strategies have to be formed. This timely volume offers useful insights into the child welfare system and will be of particular interest to policymakers, academics with an interest in Child Welfare Policy, Social Work educators, and Child Advocates.