Preschool Program
A program for parents,
schools and community agencies
to help preschool children with emotional and behavioural problems
Rationale for the program
Emotional and behavioural
problems of childhood are often evident by three years of age and can
cause long-term difficulties for children and families. Problems may take
the form of externalising (acting out) behaviours (eg. aggression, oppositionality)
and/or internalising (acting in) behaviours (eg. withdrawal and anxiety).
It is now recognised that early identification of children at risk of
developing emotional and behavioural disorders, followed by early intervention,
is necessary if the health of these children is to be protected and the
risk of them developing long-term emotional and behavioural disorders
is to be reduced.
The preschool period has been selected as an opportune time for early intervention because as families prepare their child to begin formal schooling, they are generally open to advice and assistance. Parents also have more influence early in childhood in managing and shaping their children's behaviour. The earlier the intervention the more positive the outcome is likely to be for the whole family.
The Exploring Together Preschool Program is a short-term, community based, multifaceted group treatment program for children in their preschool or early primary school years (3 - 7 years old) who have externalising and/or internalising behaviour problems, and for their parents and preschool teachers. The Preschool Program is based upon the Exploring Together Primary School Program, which is a well researched, empirically validated, and proven effective program for families with children aged 5-14 years whose long-term mental health is at risk.
The Exploring Together Preschool Program focuses on supporting parents, enhancing parenting practices, strengthening family units, reducing children's problematic behaviour, developing children's social skills and enhancing their self esteem.
The Program involves combined parent-child interaction groups and separate, concurrent groups for parents and children. Meetings for partners or support persons and for preschool teachers are held regularly throughout the program. Thus the program is multi-faceted and involves all the significant people in the child's life to enhance change across contexts. It also promotes family and preschool communication and connectedness, which are known protective factors that help prevent the development of emotional and behavioural disorders.
Families and children who may be helped
This program is designed
for families with children aged 3 - 7 years, in their preschool or early
primary school years, and who have emotional and behavioural problems.
These problems include:
One parent must be able to attend a ten-week program during the day, at the same time as the child. One parent and an adult significant in the parenting process (eg. partner) should be able to attend two evening sessions during the course of the group. Each program involves 5-6 children and their families.
The
program for children and their families aims to
- enhance self-esteem and decrease problematic behaviour
- enhance interpersonal and social skills
- provide training in problem solving and behaviour management
- improve communication and understanding between family members
- empower families to use their own resources more effectively so that relationships between family members can improve.
Program outlines
1. first parent-child interactive group
The first parent-child
interactive group uses direct dyad work. This group aims to help parents
and children:
2. parents' group
The parents' group uses
discussion and modelling to:
3. children's group
This group aims to reduce
children's antisocial behaviour problems while at the same time develop
their emotion regulation skills and improve their peer interactions. This
group focuses on teaching the children:
4. second parent-child interactive group
The second parent-child interactive group focuses around joint activities and continues to use direct dyad work. In addition to all the benefits of the first interactive group, this group aims to help parents and children:
Morning/afternoon tea is included as a core component of this session to
elicit issues around sharing and eating together so that these can be worked
on in the context of the group
5. partners' evenings
These are attended either by both parents, or by the parent attending the group and a support person. The focus is on adults working together and supporting each other in providing an appropriate environment for their child's development.
6. preschool teacher meetings
The aim of these meetings is to promote a consistent approach in the management of the child across the different systems in the child's life. The meetings also provide the opportunity for two-way feedback between preschool teachers and group leaders as well as offering support for dealing with the child in the preschool setting.
Structure
and content of the 'Exploring Together Preschool Program'
The Exploring Together
Preschool Program involves 5 - 6 families participating in group work
over 10 consecutive weeks, plus pre-group and post-group family interviews
for assessment, evaluation and feedback. Group work consists of interactive
parent-child groups plus separate concurrent groups for children and parents.
Meetings with the partners of the parent attending the group take place
twice during the 10-week program. Leaders also meet with the children's
preschool teachers on two occasions during this period. Four leaders are
required to run each program (two for the children's group and two for
the parents' group). At least two of the leaders must have attended Exploring
Together Training. The time commitment for each leader is at least 3 hours
per week. This includes preparation time, group time, post-group debriefing
and planning.
First parent-child
interactive group - 4 leaders / 40 minutes
Children's group - 2 leaders / 1 hour
Parents' group - 2 leaders / 1 hour
Second parent-child interactive group - 4 leaders / 20 minutes
(pre group) Initial
interviews
Week 1 - First meeting
Week 2 - meeting
Preschool teacher's meeting
Partner's evening
Weeks 3 - 9 - meetings
Preschool teacher's meeting
Partner's evening
Week 10 - Last meeting
(post group) Feedback interviews
What
does exploring together achieve?
The Exploring Together Program has been conducted in community settings, clinics, schools and preschools with considerable success. A comprehensive evaluation of the Primary School Program has been undertaken by La Trobe University. After the children and their parents participated in the 10-week Exploring Together Program, 74% of the children were rated by both parents and teachers as having decreased their aggressive behaviour, while 79% of the children showed an improvement in their attention. Sixty-seven percent of the children showed a decrease in their anxious-depressed behaviour, 64% improved their social skills, and 61% of children decreased their withdrawn behaviour. Many of the families involved came from disadvantaged groups in the community who would not normally access this type of assistance.
The Exploring Together Program for primary school children has won three National Awards in recognition of its achievements:
The Exploring Together Preschool Program was supported by the William Buckland Foundation.
Training for professionals is available on request for this program.
Box 11, 607 Lygon St Princes Hill Victoria 3054. P 0438879360