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Pyramid Plus: The Colorado Center for Social Emotional Competence and Inclusion

"Colorado could be on the leading-edge of early childhood

education if more [programs and professionals] had the support

and skills provided by Pyramid Plus." ~Survey respondent

“Staff have increased levels of competence and

confidence.” ~Program Director

“As the everyday stressors of life increase and lead to increasing challenging behaviors, Pyramid Plus has

provided additional skills necessary to work with [children’s] behaviors. ECE professionals, in our Center, are

experiencing less burn out and more "joy" [and have] the confidence to share strategies with children and

parents.” ~ Survey respondent

2 Pyramid Plus-Annual Report

December 2011

Core Values

Our core values are:

The content of our TA efforts must be based on the best available evidence and be affordable, feasible, acceptable and effective across diverse populations of children, families, communities and programs, including typical early childhood settings

The outcomes of TA efforts must be valued by families as well as by the community at large

Our work must be collaborative, building on and embedding with the work of others

Families, community leaders and program personnel including administrators and direct service personnel play a vital role in the design, implementation and evaluation of the Center’s efforts

Practices intended to improve social, emotional, and behavioral competence and promote inclusion are designed primarily to enhance competencies rather than remediate problems of children, families, and personnel

We thank the following organizations for support of the

Pyramid Plus Center

The overall goal of the Pyramid Plus

Center is to increase the high

fidelity use of evidence-based, early

childhood social emotional and

inclusive practices in early care and

education settings through the

promotion and integration of:

• the Pyramid Model for Promoting

Social and Emotional Competence of

Infants and Young Children- a tiered

promotion and prevention model

developed by the Center on the

Social and Emotional Foundations for

Early Learning (CSEFEL) and the

Technical Assistance Center on Social

Emotional Intervention (TACSEI);

• the SpecialQuest Birth-Five

Approach to Early Childhood

Inclusion of children with or at risk

for disabilities

• as well as other related evidence-

based inclusion practices

Key initiatives of the Pyramid Plus

Center are to:

• Provide a system to prepare,

support and certify high quality

trainers, coaches and sites in the

Pyramid Plus Approach

• Provide training, technical

assistance (TA) and resources to

programs and communities

throughout Colorado

• Facilitate state policy and systems

development to plan for

sustainability and state-wide scale-

up

This annual report is organized

around these key initiatives


December 2011

Greetings!

We are excited to share with you our second annual report. National studies indicate that both

social emotional competence and inclusion are foundational for school readiness. However,

research also shows that up to 40 percent of young children

exhibit serious behavioral challenges that can result in a

tremendous risk of school failure early on, followed by adult lives

characterized by violence, abuse, loneliness, and anxiety. Studies

report that less than 50 percent of preschoolers with disabilities

are fully and meaningfully included in typical early childhood

settings.

Pyramid Plus has been created to address both of these issues in

Colorado. Colorado is the first state in the nation to fund such a

center! Our vision is to build the capacity of communities,

families, and early care and education programs state-wide to

use evidence-based approaches with fidelity, thereby improving

all of Colorado’s young children’s social emotional competence

and opportunities for inclusion. In addition to providing trainings

state-wide, Pyramid Plus is building the competence of Colorado’s early childhood personnel

through a network of certified trainers, coaches and sites to broaden the reach of the Center.

Our goal is to have certified trainers and coaches available to every early care and education

program throughout Colorado.

For more information about the Pyramid Plus program, or to sign up for the Pyramid Plus e-mail

newsletter, please visit www.pyramidplus.org.

A heartfelt “Thank You” to our funders, the Pyramid Plus State Policy Team and others who

support our work and collaborate with us to improve the lives of children and families in

Colorado.

Barbara J. Smith, Director

“We know how to implement the strategies

appropriately the first time – and seeing

outcomes is so rewarding.” Pyramid Plus

Demonstration Site Director

http://www.pyramidplus.org/


December 2011

Table of Contents Our History and Approach ................................................................................................................ 5

Overall Impact of Pyramid Plus ....................................................................................................... 7

Certifying Pyramid Plus Trainers and Coaches ................................................................................. 8

Certifying Pyramid Plus Demonstration Sites ................................................................................ 11

Providing Training and Technical Assistance (TA) State-wide ........................................................ 18

Partnering with Implementation Communities ............................................................................. 24

Partnering with Other Organizations ............................................................................................. 25

Facilitating State Policy Work ......................................................................................................... 26 Ensuring Public Awareness, Sustainability and Scale-up ................................................................ 30

Front row left to right: Barbara Smith, Geneva Hallett, Robin Levy-Conti; back row left to right:

Kelly Wilson, Johanna Berry Wasser, Laurie Fowler Beckel

Not pictured: Phil Strain, Julie Walden, Jill Giacomini


December 2011

Our History and Approach In October 2009, The Colorado Department of Human

Services (CDHS) Divisions of Child Care, Behavioral

Health and Developmental Disabilities / Early

Intervention Colorado announced a state-wide

collaborative effort to improve the social, emotional and

behavioral competence of all infants and young children

and the inclusion of children with disabilities in all early

childhood settings. Through a competitive process, The

University of Colorado Denver, School of Education and

Human Development, was selected to implement the

initiative and Pyramid Plus: The Colorado Center for

Social Emotional Competence and Inclusion was

launched. In 2010, The Colorado Health Foundation

provided funding to the Center to work intensively with

several communities (Implementation Communities) and state-wide organizations (Outreach

Partners) in order to build the systems necessary to reach high needs populations. In 2011,

CDHS, Division of Child Welfare Services, provided funds to strengthen linkages in Pyramid Plus

Implementation Communities between EI Colorado services and Child Welfare services for

infants and toddlers at risk of or experiencing abuse and neglect.

Pyramid Plus Approach Our conceptual approach is a tiered model that focuses on: 1) providing all children the support

they need to experience social, emotional and behavior success and high quality inclusive

services, 2) providing intentional teaching to promote social, emotional and behavioral success

and inclusion to those children needing additional support, and 3) providing individualized,

intensive interventions for those children with serious, persistent challenging behavior and

other learning needs. Our practices integrate two evidence-based models: 1) the Pyramid

Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence and Addressing Challenging Behavior in

Infants and Young Children, and, 2)The SpecialQuest Birth–Five Approach with other evidence-

based inclusion practices; specifically: Learning Experiences-An Alternative Program for

Preschoolers and Parents (LEAP), Building Blocks for Teaching Preschoolers with Special Needs

and Prevent Teach Reinforce (PTR) creating the “Pyramid Plus Approach”.

Our approach reflects best practice in the professional development and implementation

science literature including providing opportunities for people to see the practices in action and

learn from others (demonstration sites, implementation communities and programs) and to

receive on-site individualized coaching in the evidence-based practices. Our core value is to

build the internal capacity of programs, families and communities and everything we do reflects

that value.


December 2011

The Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young

Children is a conceptual framework of evidence-based practices developed by two national,

federally-funded research and training centers: The Center for the Social and Emotional

Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) and Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional

Intervention (TACSEI). Based on evaluation data over the last ten years, the Pyramid Model has

shown to be a sound framework for early care and education systems.

Center on the Social Emotional Competence for Learning Early (CSEFEL). CSEFEL is focused on

promoting the social emotional development and school readiness of young children birth to

age 5 through the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Emotional Competence in Young

Children. The website includes extensive, user-friendly training materials, videos, and print

resources which are available directly from this website to help early care; health and education

providers implement this model. www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel

Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention (TACSEI). TACSEI takes the

research that shows which practices improve the social-emotional outcomes for young children

with, or at risk for, delays or disabilities and creates FREE products and resources related to the

Pyramid Model to help decision-makers, caregivers, and service providers apply these best

practices in the work they do every day. www.challengingbehavior.org

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel

http://www.challengingbehavior.org/


December 2011

The focus of SpecialQuest Birth–Five is on inclusion for children with disabilities ages birth

through five and their families. SpecialQuest Birth–Five,

builds upon the relationship-based SpecialQuest approach

which is designed to touch the “head, heart, and hands” of

families and professionals working together to create

inclusive communities for young children with disabilities.

The website includes information for States and local

communities to collaborate to provide high-quality,

inclusive services for young children with disabilities and

their families. www.specialquest.org

Building Blocks for Teaching Preschoolers with Special

Needs. This approach is aimed to increase the

competence, confidence and effectiveness of early

childhood personnel to include children with disabilities.

The book outlines strategies for adapting typical early

childhood settings and activities to meet the needs of children with disabilities. This site has a

lot of resources for any professional working in early childhood education.

http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/sandall-69674/index.htm

http://depts.washington.edu/hscenter/about

Learning Experiences- An Alternative Program for Preschoolers and Parents (LEAP). The goal of

this model is to enhance evidence-based practice through utilizing strategies originally

developed to effectively include children with autism in inclusive early education settings. These

additional strategies and planned opportunities have been proven to be effective with all

children in promoting engagement, and social emotional skills, while also reducing challenging

behaviors. www.pelecenter.org

Prevent-Teach-Reinforce: The School-based Model of Individualized Positive Behavior Support

(PTR). This systematic approach for positive behavior support has shown to be effective. This

collaborative approach involves developing skills with all team members. Its prescriptive process

provides great consistency and increased child outcomes.

http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/dunlap-70151/index.htm

Overall Impact of Pyramid Plus In the Spring of 2011, a survey was sent to all past Pyramid Plus Training attendees, State Policy

Team members, trainer certification candidates, coach certification candidates and

administrators and leadership team members at Pyramid Plus demonstration sites,

implementation communities and outreach partners. The purpose of the survey was to

ascertain the perception of the impact of the Center’s services since its inception in the Fall of

2009.

http://www.specialquest.org/

http://depts.washington.edu/hscenter/about

http://www.pelecenter.org/

http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/dunlap-70151/index.htm


December 2011

A total of 251 individuals received the link to the online survey. There were 83 respondents for a response rate of 33% which is near the average response rate for an email survey. See www.pyramidplus.org for the complete report.

Results

Over 95% agreed or strongly agreed that Pyramid Plus trainings had a positive impact on professionals’ and parents’ abilities to support young children’s social, emotional, and behavioral development and inclusion.

90% agreed or strongly agreed that the lives of

Colorado’s families and children have been improved because of the work of Pyramid Plus.

90% agreed or strongly agreed that early

childhood professionals in Colorado have become more effective and confident in dealing with young children’s challenging behaviors because of the work of Pyramid Plus.

83% agreed or strongly agreed that Colorado’s

early childhood programs have adopted more evidence-based social, emotional, behavioral and/or inclusive practice because of the support given by Pyramid Plus.

95% indicated that there is a need for more

Pyramid Plus supports and practices state-wide.

Certifying Pyramid Plus Trainers and

Coaches The Pyramid Plus Center, under the direction of the Certification Coordinator, Laurie Fowler

Beckel, has created a process for certifying Pyramid Plus Trainers and Coaches. This quality

assurance mechanism is our way of making sure programs and communities have access to

highly skilled individuals in their local areas beyond Center staff. This is one of our scale-up and

sustainability initiatives and brings to reality our value of building local capacity. This

certification ensures that Colorado has a cadre of individuals located throughout the state

(scale-up and local capacity) that can train and coach on the Pyramid Plus practices and

approach with fidelity and over time (sustainability). Finally, this certification of individuals

state-wide represents our commitment to building the internal capacity of programs and

communities to implement and sustain high fidelity Pyramid Plus practices.

Pyramid Plus enrolled individuals for trainer and coach certification in February 2010 (2010

Cadre), June of 2010 (2011 Cadre) and again in June of 2011 (2012 Cadre). By October 2011, 19

people from across the state had been certified as Pyramid Plus Certified Trainers and Coaches

and are listed on the website.

“We have seen positive

growth in our education

staff and their ability to

share strategies with

parents. We will be offering

the Parent Modules this

spring and will be

encouraging parents whose

children have Behavior

Plans to attend, in order to

share even more strategies.

The staff that use the

Pyramid Plus strategies

regularly state "IT WORKS!!"

~Survey respondent

affiliated with a Pyramid

Plus Demonstration Site



December 2011

Pyramid Plus Certified Trainers:

Kelly Miller, Denver Health/Denver Great Kids Head Start

Lisa Matter, Community Trainer/Arapahoe Early Childhood Council

Ben Riepe, Aurora Creative Options Head Start

Susan Hill, Community Trainer/Arapahoe Early Childhood Council

Janis Pottorff, Family Connects/Northrange Behavioral Health

Katherine Bucca, Bal Swan Children's Center Broomfield

Ellen Coker, Larimer Early Childhood Council

Virginia Kile, Early Childhood Special Educator/Montrose

Robin Snyder, Norwood Preschool Director (and Qualistar Early Childhood Professional

of the Year!)

Sheryl Shushan, Director, Grand Early Childhood Council

Robin Levy-Conti, Pyramid Plus Center

Pyramid Plus Certified Coaches:

Kelly Miller, Denver Health/Great Kids Head Start

Ben Riepe, Creative Options Head Start Aurora

Patti Williardson, Bal Swan Children's Center Broomfield

Dee Gilmore, Bal Swan Children's Center Broomfield

Virginia Kile, Early Childhood Special Educator/Montrose

Mia Wilson, Kids First Resource and Referral Agency in Aspen

Sandra Contreras, Creative Options Head Start Aurora

Robin Levy-Conti, Pyramid Plus Center

Training, Supporting and Certifying Pyramid Plus Trainers

Trainer candidates must demonstrate proficiency in the content of the Pyramid Plus Approach

and the CSEFEL Positive Solutions for Families as well as training skills measured by the “Pyramid

Plus 12 Essential Training Skills” (Fowler Beckel, Wasser, Levy-Conti, Hallett, Wilson, Smith &

Strain, 2011). Additionally, all candidates must have a portfolio and professional development

plan and are required to deliver a Community Overview that introduces their communities to

the Pyramid Plus Approach and the Center in order to engage community support and interest.

The 2012 Trainer Candidates participated in the spring roll-out of the “Pyramid Plus Approach”

and the Summer Certification Institute. We have eight trainers in the 2012 Training Cadre from

the following counties: Gunnison, Broomfield, Littleton, Summit, Adams and Larimer. Their

current positions include: Child Find Coordinator, PD Coordinator, ECE Teacher among others.

Education level of trainer candidates is described in the graph below.


December 2011

2012 Trainer Candidates are training the new Pyramid Plus Approach with Pyramid Plus staff in

their own communities. These trainers are receiving 1:1 support from Pyramid Plus staff during

training both on the Pyramid Plus Approach content as well as feedback on the “12 Essential

Training Skills” scoring rubric.

Training, Supporting and Certifying Pyramid Plus Coaches

The Pyramid Plus Center recently recruited the third cadre of Pyramid Plus Coach Certification

candidates. These 2012 Pyramid Plus Coach

Candidates participated in the spring roll-out of the

“Pyramid Plus Approach” and the Summer

Certification Institute. A Pyramid Plus Certified

Coach must demonstrate proficiency in this

content as well as the coaching skills represented

in our “Coaching Circuit” (Fowler Beckel, Levy-

Conti, Stein, Wasser, Wilson, Hallett, Smith &

Strain , 2011). Additionally, all coach candidates

must have a portfolio and professional

development plan and are required to work in a

setting where they practice and demonstrate their

coaching skills.

In addition to many preschool settings, we have

three coach candidates working in home-based

settings within the Early Intervention Colorado

program and two are early childhood mental

health consultants. Coach candidates are in the

following counties/cities: Adams, Broomfield, El

Paso, Fremont, Grand, Gunnison, Littleton, Pueblo,

Summit, and Weld. Level of education of the 2012

coach candidates is displayed in the graph below.

12%

12%

38%

38%

2012 Pyramid Plus Trainer Certification Candidates' Highest Level of Education

High School +

AA

BA/BS

MA/MS

Director of Pyramid Plus Demonstration Site and

Pyramid Plus Certified Trainer Receives

Qualistar’s Early Childhood Education

Professional Award

Robin Snyder has been teaching preschool for

more than 10 years. She is currently the director

and lead teacher of Norwood Preschool, which is

one of four Pyramid Plus demonstration sites.

Robin recently received her certification as a

Pyramid Plus Trainer as well. To this date, Robin

has presented parent workshops in her

community, region Pyramid overviews and has

even presented at the national level.


December 2011

"With my background in

counseling and school

counseling, I am excited to

complete my Pyramid Plus

Coaching Certification. The

Pyramid Plus Approach allows

me to apply my skills to truly

change the lives of children,

families and early childhood

teachers." Sophie Berkley,

Coach Candidate from Summit

County

Candidates are required to go through the ‘Coaching

Circuit’ (Fowler Beckel et al, 2011) at least three times

receiving scores on the observation tools of at least 80%.

Pre- and post scores on the Teaching Pyramid Observation

Tool (TPOT) indicate increased use of the Pyramid Plus

practices by the teachers receiving coaching.

Certifying Pyramid Plus Demonstration Sites

Pyramid Plus provides intensive TA to four programs

within the state of Colorado as they progress toward

becoming certified Pyramid Plus demonstration sites.

These sites are: (1) Bal Swan Children’s Center in

Broomfield, (2) Creative Options in Denver/Aurora, (3)

Primetime Early Learning Center in Norwood, and (4)

Fremont Head Start in Canyon City. Certified sites will

demonstrate high fidelity Pyramid Plus practices in social

and emotional competencies, inclusion, and managing

challenging behavior that are program-wide and

sustainable. Additionally, the programs agree to provide

systems change and outcome data to Pyramid Plus to ensure that our services do in fact result in

the intended outcomes when implemented with fidelity. Each program serves a wide variety of

children with differing needs including children eligible for free and reduced lunch, children with

special needs, and children supported through Head Start, Early Head Start, and Colorado

Preschool Program (CPP) funding.

34%

50%

8% 8%

2012 Pyramid Plus Coach Certifcation Candidates' Highest Level of Education

BA/BS

MA/MSW

AA

none


December 2011

Below is enrollment, number of classrooms, and range of ages served in all four demonstration programs.

Program Total Enrollment Number of Classrooms

Ages Served

Fremont County Head Start 205 12 3yrs – 6 yrs

Creative Options 535 26 6 mo – 5 yrs

Bal Swan’s Children’s Center 201 16 2 yrs – 10 yrs

Primetime Early Learning Center

80 5 12mo – 12 yrs

Total 1021 59 6 mo- 12 yrs

Children with a wide range of needs and racial composition are served within each program as shown below.

7% 3%

41%

0%

41%

8%

Racial Composition of All

Programs

AfricanAmericanAsianAmericanHispanic

NativeAmericanCaucasian

Other


December 2011

75%

25%

Percentage of Children Supported Through CPP or Head Start

Supported

Not Supported

There are multiple levels of support and data measures that drive successful implementation of Pyramid Plus practices, designed to maintain a high fidelity of practices program-wide. Each level of support has specific data measures and a specific purpose for the data collected.

Program-Wide Implementation

Every demonstration site has an established leadership team that meets monthly to ensure the practices are being implemented with fidelity throughout the program . Each leadership team completes the Benchmarks of Quality twice each year, at the beginning and end of the school year, to measure and track the critical elements necessary for program-wide implementation. All items on the Benchmarks of Quality are scored on a rating scale that ranges from 0 (not in place), to 2 (in place) and drive action plans and program development. The items include: team membership and buy-in; data collection systems; program expectations; and systems for hiring and training new teachers. Sites continue to develop systems that will support teachers and overall staff development, data systems to inform program needs, and improve child outcomes. The graph below displays pre-post growth on the Benchmarks of Quality averaged across all 4 programs.

Identified 14%

Not

Identified86%

Total Percent of Children Identified with Special Needs

Eligible 69%

Non-eligible

31%

Total Percentage of Children Eligible for Free or Reduced Meals


December 2011

Coaches and Trainers

Congruent with the goal of building internal capacity, Pyramid Plus has certified coaches and trainers within each site. Currently each site has at least one certified coach and one certified trainer to support teachers and staff to fidelity of Pyramid Plus practices, and to support program-wide implementation and parent training. Coaches and trainers within each site are paid by that site. This infrastructure is necessary to achieve fidelity and maintain high quality practices. Please see section on Certification for more information.

Technical Assistance

Training and technical assistance (T/TA) is provided to each site monthly through Pyramid Plus. T/TA includes support for the administrative team to assist in developing sustainable practices, policies, and program expectations. This includes developing data systems that use data to drive program development, teacher professional development plans, and support for the investment in Pyramid Plus practices. T/TA is also provided to assist programs in developing tour packets and tour practices for others to visit and see their work. Pyramid Plus TA and practices were rated at each site by the Leadership Team. Sites rated the Pyramid Plus support to be compatible with their program and of high value. The graphs below demonstrate this “social validity” as rated by each site, with a rating of 5 being the highest score.


December 2011

Classroom Outcomes

In addition to coaching support and training, each site is collecting multiple data measures at the classroom level. This data drives professional development plans, informs program needs and training needs, tracks teacher progress, and the impact on individual children. The Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT) and The Pyramid Infant/Toddler Observation Scale (TPITOS) measure the fidelity of implementation of the Pyramid Model. Coaches and supervisors complete TPOT/TPITOS assessments in each classroom at the beginning and end of the school year. TPOT/TPITOS measure the fidelity with which teachers are implementing social and emotional teaching strategies, behavior strategies, as well as supportive environments and building relationships. These tools are based on observation and interview questions. TPOT/TPITOS results drive individual teacher development plans and track progress. In addition, these site programs also compile program-wide data sets that highlight and identify topics to target for staff development trainings.


December 2011

TPOT Indicators displayed are those that are most reliably observable: Indicator 9. transitions between activities are appropriate Indicator 10. teachers engage in supportive conversations with children Indicator 11. promoting children's engagement Indicator 12. teaching children behavior expectations Indicator 13. providing directions Indicator 14. using effective strategies to respond to problem behavior Indicator 15. teaching social skills and emotional competencies Indicator 16. teaching children to express emotions Indicator 17. teaching problem solving Indicator 18. supporting friendship

Quality Program Indicators (QPI) is adapted from the LEAP Model. This assessment highlights the degree to which Individual Education Programs (IEP’s) and Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP’s) for children with disabilities are being integrated into general classroom practices, classroom organization and planning, teaching strategies, teaching communication skills, promoting social interactions, providing positive behavioral guidance, and interactions with children and families. The

measure has a rating scale from (1) needs work to (5) full implementation and is collected by Pyramid Plus staff at the beginning and end of the year. The graphs below illustrate teacher growth in one school year averaged across all programs.


December 2011

Individual Child Outcomes

Data is collected at the individual child level to demonstrate the effect of high fidelity Pyramid Plus practices on child outcomes. Sites are currently collecting data using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social and Emotional (ASQ-SE) for all children enrolled in the program. The ASQ-SE is completed by teachers/caregivers at the beginning and end of each school year. Items on this questionnaire include seven areas of behavior: self-regulation, compliance, communication, adaptive functioning, autonomy, affect, and interactions with other people. These items are scored on a 3-point scale ranging from “most of the time” to “rarely”. An overall score is computed and compared to a cutoff score depending on the child’s age, to identify children at risk that may need additional support in these areas. The graph below, illustrates ASQ-SE child outcome data in one school year and reflects a sampling of classrooms across all programs. These pre- and post-intervention graphs indicate that across all sites, there were significantly fewer children scoring in the “at or above risk” cut

off range. Specifically, 18% of children were in a risk category at the beginning of the year as compared to 11% at the end of the year.

0%

50%

100%

Pre Post

ASQ-SE

At or above cut off

Below cut off


December 2011

“The Pyramid Plus training was

one of the best trainings I have

attended. Trainers spoke of real

life situations and I was able to

implement the information into

my classrooms. The website is

amazing and offers so many

resources. I wish this

information was available to all

who work in early childhood

education. My trainers at the

November conference were

amazing and available to

answer questions and are still

available if I need them. I

cannot say enough positive

things to begin to reach the

importance of Pyramid Plus."

-Training attendee

Providing Training and Technical Assistance State-wide

Pyramid Plus strives to offer high quality training and technical assistance (T/TA) supporting

social, emotional and behavioral competence and inclusive practices for young children across

the state of Colorado. The three major initiatives this past year were:

to create and provide training on a curriculum (Pyramid Plus Approach) that truly

integrates the Pyramid Model with SpecialQuest and other evidence-based

inclusion practices; and

to convene a Policy Summit

to provide training across the state

The Pyramid Plus Approach Training Curriculum The Pyramid Plus team, led by Johanna Berry Wasser, created the new Pyramid Plus Approach

(Wasser, Barton, Hallett, Smith, Wilson, Beckel, Levy-Conti, Strain, English Waldbuam, 2011)

training (see section I). This training was offered in the Spring in Denver and is currently being

offered in the Implementation Communities associated

with Pyramid Plus: Gunnison, Pueblo, Grand, and

Summit Counties.

The new course of training includes 18 Sessions which

are intended to be presented in order and are

approximately 3-4 hours in length. The content was

presented at the Spring Pyramid Plus Approach Training

to 69 people. The Pyramid Plus Approach training

materials address the entire developmental continuum,

birth through 5 years of age, making this a training

suitable for any caregiver, teacher or other professional

working in early childhood. The content includes

strategies that are adaptable and useful in a variety of

environments including center, home or community.

Provide Training Across the State

Pyramid Plus staff have provided many trainings across

Colorado this year including a Fall Inclusion Conference,

Pyramid Plus Approach Spring Training, Infant/Toddler

training, and community-wideintroductory trainings.

Training Evaluations are administered whenever we

offer a training and provide the following important

information:

Demographics & Roles

Pre Training Evaluation:


December 2011

o Which of the following best describes your knowledge of the training/topic area before the training?

Training Objectives and Content

Facilitator Skills

Post Training Evaluation: assessing participants knowledge on the topic after the

training and comfort in immediately

implementing the new learner skills

o Which of the following best describes your knowledge of the training/topic area after the training?

o Which of the following best describes the amount of skills you can immediately implement as a result of this training?

Additional comments that the participant

would like to share

Inclusion Conference

The Inclusion Conference, which was held immediately after the Policy Summit in the fall of 2011, was attended by 85 people and included 2.5 days of training on evidence- based inclusion practices for early childhood settings and communities including strategies from SpecialQuest, LEAP, and Building Blocks. The goal of this conference was to build champions for inclusion of all children and families. All participants received many resources including the Building Blocks book and CD. Evaluation data indicated attendees increased their knowledge and found the quality of presentations to rank 4.6 on a 5 point scale.

Pyramid Model Infant Toddler Module Training: Colorado Springs, November,

2010

Pyramid Model Infant Toddler Module Training was three days and there were 20 attendees.

Again, evaluation data indicated attendees increased their knowledge and considered the

quality of the presentations to rank 4.6 on a 5 point scale.

0

5

10

15

20

25

Inclusion Conference Attendees per County


December 2011

Pyramid Plus Approach: Denver, Spring 2011 Spring Pyramid Plus Approach Training (April and May – 2.5 days each) consisted of 5 full days

and was the first time this content and material was presented. There were 69 participants.

Rosemarie Allen, Director Colorado Division of Child Care, provided the welcome and

introduction and the Keynote was given by Phil Strain. Presenters were the Pyramid Plus TA

Team: Barbara Smith, Johanna Berry Wasser, Kelly Wilson, Laurie Beckel, Geneva Hallett and

Robin Levy-Conti and TACSEI trainer Erin Barton. A pre-conference webinar to orient

participants before attending the training was provided.

5%

19%

21%

11% 3%

3%

13%

22%

3%

Colorado Springs Infant Toddler Modules Attendee Affiliation (n = 20)

Child Care

EC Council

ECMH

Early Intervention

Early Head Start

Higher Ed

Resource & Referral

School District/BOCES

Nurse Consultant

35%

32%

6%

3%

3%

3%

3% 10%

1% 1%

3%

Spring Pyramid Plus Approach Training Attendee Affiliation

Child Care

Candidates Sites

EC Council

ECMH

Early Intervention

Head Start

Resource & Referral

School District

Public Health

Higher Education

State Agency


December 2011

0

5

10

15

20

Pyramid Plus Approach Attendees per County

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

Day 6

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

Scores based on a 3 point rating scale

Pyramid Plus Approach: Pre-Post Test of Knowledge

Pre Test

Post Test

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

Day 6

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1


Overall Quality of Presentation: Pyramid Plus Approach Denver Spring 2011


December 2011

Pyramid Plus Summer Institute 2011: Frisco

The second annual Summer Institute was offered in Frisco. The purpose of the 3 day institute

was to orientate Pyramid Plus certification candidates, coaches and trainers, to the new

certification process and procedures (see the certification section). All 22 participants received

Pyramid Plus Trainer and Coach Certification Handbooks. Attendees ranked the quality of the

presentations 3.6 on a 4 point scale.

Attendees were from the following counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, El Paso,

Fremont, Grand, Gunnison, Jefferson, Pueblo, and Summit.

Pyramid Plus Community Needs Assessment: Fall 2011

We conducted our second annual training needs assessment survey in August of 2011. A total of

72 people completed the survey. There was broad demographic representation in the survey.

The stated purpose was “ to learn more about the strengths and needs of your community

related to social emotional competence and inclusion practices for young children birth to five

years old.” The following graph shows the number of professions represented in the

respondents.

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

Technology

Adult Learning

Classroom data (TPOT/TPITOS)

Home-based data (TPITOS/Parent…

Coach Certification

Trainer Certification


Summer Institute: Pre-Post Test of Knowledge

Pre Test

Post Test

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Other

Head Start/Early HS

Early Childhood Council

Health Provider

Mental Health

Number of People Per Agency


December 2011

The survey asked what were the primary training needs in their communities. This was scored

using a checklist (yes or no). Out of 72 respondents, over half expressed a need for all 18

sessions of the Pyramid Plus Approach.

Partnering with Early Intervention (EI) Colorado

Pyramid Plus staff collaborated with Laura Merrill (Pyramid Plus State Policy Team member

representing EI Colorado) to conduct a survey and webinar for EI providers to receive

information from previously trained (in the Infant Toddler Pyramid Model) early intervention

providers, service coordinators and Community Center Board (CCB) administrators on what

other supports they may need. The following counties were represented in the survey:

Arapahoe, Jefferson, Denver, Douglas, Eagle, Grand,

Larimer, Lincoln, El Paso, Dolores, Montezuma, Teller,

Pueblo.

The results of the survey provided Pyramid Plus with

useful information including:

Strategies and Resources most commonly used in

practice with working with young children and

their families included:

o Developing supportive environments

o Building positive relationships

o Calming techniques

o Emotional literacy

Additional information or training that providers

would like to receive from Pyramid Plus included:

o Family coaching strateiges (in the home)

o Strategies for working with families

o Individualized Plans: Developing Meaningful and Obtainable Goals/Outomes

o Pyramid Plus Approach on the whole developmental continuum

The information from the Early Intervention Providers survey helped Pyramid Plus develop the

comprehensive training (Pyramid Plus Approach) which includes the entire developmental

continuum (birth to five). The survey also provided the Center with information on specific

training needs for early interventists and families.

The webinar was held March 3, 2011. There were 24 participants (service providers, service

coordinators, and Community Center Board administrators). The objectives were to: 1) share

information about our new Pyramid Plus Approach training offered in the Spring, 2) familiarize

participants with the Pyramid Plus goals that are directly related to the work of Early

Intervention professionals, 3) provide information on the updated certification process for

coaches and trainers, 4) discuss the application for 6 new Pyramid Plus Implementation

Communities across Colorado, 5) Question & Answer session.

“The most powerful thing that I

have learned is change the

negative into a positive. I was so

used to saying ‘no’ it’s hard to

turn that around but once you

start (changing the language to

positive) it works! It builds

confidence in them (infants &

toddlers) so they grow up and

know they are good people.”

– Demonstration Site

Infant/toddler Teacher


December 2011

Partnering with Implementation Communities

To reach more programs and begin community sustainability, The Pyramid Plus Center issued a

statewide request for proposal (RFP) to become an Implementation Community. The RFPs were

reviewed by the Pyramid Plus staff team and four communities were selected: Summit, Grand,

Pueblo, and Gunnison. A Memorandum of Understanding

(MOU) was collaboratively developed outlining the

responsibilities of the communities and Pyramid Plus.

Each Implementation Community agrees to:

Support 1 trainer and 1 coach certification

candidate

Establish a community-wide Leadership Team

Train the Pyramid Plus Approach sessions

Select an Implementation Program within the

community (which also has a Leadership Team)

Coach in 1 classroom in the Implementation

Program

Collect data from the Implementation Community

& Implementation Program

Pyramid Plus provides each Implementation Community:

Training and Technical Assistance to the trainer

and coach certification candidates

Technical Assistance to the Community Leadership Team

Support of training the Pyramid Plus Approach sessions in the community

Coordinate data from the Implementation Community & Implementation Program

Below is a table showing enrollment, number of classrooms, and the range of ages in the

Implementation Community Programs.

Implementation Community Program

Total Enrollment Number of Classrooms Ages Served

Summit 71 5 2 months – 5 years

Grand 18 1 3 - 5 years

Pueblo 120 4 Birth – 3 years

Gunnison 40 3 4 months – 5 years

Total 249 13 Birth – 5 years

Children with a range of needs and racial composition are served within the Implementation Community Programs. Twenty five percent (25%) are non-Caucasian; 36% are eligible for free or reduced meals; and 27% are identified as having disabilities.


December 2011

The goal of Pyramid Plus is to build capacity and create sustainability throughout Colorado in Implementation Communities and their programs. Work has begun in each Implementation Community with community-wide Leadership Teams, training Pyramid Plus Approach sessions, coaching in classrooms, beginning to collect community-wide and program data.

Partnering with Other Organizations Connecting with other state-wide, evidenced-based practices and initiatives related to young

children’s social, emotional and behavioral competence and inclusion is an integral part of our

work. Substantial time and resources are dedicated to these partnerships.

The staff of the Pyramid Plus Center participates in a number of opportunities to connect and

partner with other initiatives, individuals, programs and communities including:

Serving on the Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Infrastructure Committee

Member of work group to map the Pyramid Model with other ECMH efforts

Meeting with the Early Intervention Colorado Interagency Coordinating Council

Coordinating Pyramid Plus efforts with Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Pyramid Model work in School Districts

Providing support, information and assistance to Early Childhood Councils

Member of P-3 Professional Development Task Force

Collaborating with Healthy Child Care Colorado

Collaborating with Family Child Care Association

Partnering with Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants and Specialists

Member of the Blue Ribbon Policy Council for Early Childhood Mental Health

Coordinating Pyramid Plus work with Invest in Kids/Incredible Years work throughout the state

Serving on work groups related to the QRIS Next Generation initiative

Serving on the Colorado Coaching Consortium

Serving on the Office of Professional Development Advisory Committee

Collaborating with Expanding Quality in Infant Toddler Care

Additionally, Pyramid Plus staff are

key faculty and collaborators with the

national centers: CSEFEL, TACSEI and

SpecialQuest.

Outreach Partners

Outreach Partners are stakeholder groups that are important to the increased access and

sustainability of our work. They represent systems and initiatives in Colorado that support

children and families by providing supports and resources that complement those provided by

Pyramid Plus. Current Outreach Partners include Nurse Consultants through Healthy Child Care


December 2011

Colorado, Early Intervention Colorado, the Colorado Association for Family Child Care, and the

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants through the Early Childhood Mental Health

Consultant Infrastructure Committee.

Based on a cooperative process, each Outreach Partner along with Pyramid Plus, first explores

training and technical assistance supports that might be shared. Then, the Partnership is

executed in a manner that will strengthen the work of both Pyramid Plus and the Outreach

Partner. Partners then work collaboratively to reinforce early childhood professional knowledge

around social emotional development, addressing challenging behaviors and inclusion. Examples

of Pyramid Plus supporting a Partner’s work

include:

Pyramid Plus providing four Pyramid

Plus training sessions to

approximately 65 Nurse Consultants

from across the state

Early Intervention Colorado

including Pyramid Plus Certified

Coaches as personnel qualified to

provide early intervention for

children with an identified need for

social and emotional supports.

Facilitating State Policy Work The request for proposals issued by the three state agencies in 2009 required a focus on state

policy work to ensure that the Pyramid Model, SpecialQuest Approach and other evidence-

based practices are available to programs and the children they serve state-wide. These efforts

include: working with a team of state leaders to build the systems and procedures to sustain

current efforts while scaling-up state-wide, convening a Policy Summit, preparing policy

materials, preparing data reports on need and effective strategies, connecting and building on

other initiatives, engaging in public awareness, and creating initiatives for building sustainable

supports for programs and communities to improve children’s social emotional competence and

inclusive opportunities.

Facilitate a State Policy Team

Prior to 2009 when the Center was funded, there were two state teams related to this work.

One focused on implementation of the Pyramid Model and the other on SpecialQuest. The

teams joined together in 2009 to work with the Pyramid Plus Center plan for sustainability and

scale-up of the Pyramid Plus Approach which combines these initiatives. The team’s work is

driven by a vision, mission, objectives and action plans associated with their 5 objectives.

Success is measured by progress on the action plans.


December 2011

Pyramid Plus State Policy Team – 2011

Rosemarie Allen Division of Child Care Colorado Department of Human Services Penny Dell Early Childhood Initiatives Colorado Department of Education Ardith Ferguson Early Intervention Colorado Division for Developmental Disabilities Colorado Department of Human Services Linda Forrest Early Childhood Education Faculty Arapahoe Community College Phyllis Lucas Qualistar Colorado Sudy Opsahl Colorado Office of Professional Development

Heather Tritten Colorado Head Start State Collaboration Office Sarah Hoover JFK Partners University of Colorado Denver Joyce Johnson Early Childhood Councils Initiative Colorado Department of Education Laura Merrill Early Intervention Colorado Division for Developmental Disabilities Colorado Department of Human Services Kathi Wagoner Division of Child Care CO Department of Human Services Claudia Zundel Division of Behavioral Health Colorado Department of Human Services

The productivity of each monthly meeting of the Pyramid Plus State Policy Team is measured by

a meeting evaluation (5 point scale-5 being the highest) completed by each team member.

Team members’ evaluation of their monthly meetings have increased and remained high

(averaging a rank of 4 on a 5 point scale for the year).

State Team Vision, Mission and Objectives

In January 2010, the State Policy Team adopted vision and mission statements that integrate

SpecialQuest and the Pyramid Model:

VISION: All early childhood settings support the social and emotional development and

inclusion of all children birth through five.

MISSION: To promote a collaborative professional development system that fosters and

sustains the state-wide, high-fidelity use of the Pyramid Model and SpecialQuest

Approach, with other related evidenced-based practices integrated with relevant

Colorado efforts.


December 2011

Objective I: Infrastructure: To develop an infrastructure that fiscally supports the high fidelity,

sustained, state-wide implementation of the Pyramid Model and SpecialQuest Approach with

other related evidence-based practices.

Objective II: Professional Development: To ensure the Pyramid Model and SpecialQuest

Approach with other related evidence-based practices are embedded in all early childhood and

related interdisciplinary higher education and professional development initiatives.

Objective III: Public Awareness: To ensure the public recognizes the Pyramid Model as a set of

evidence-based practices that promotes the healthy social and emotional development of

infants and young children, and the SpecialQuest Approach as an effective approach to

promoting the inclusion of infants and young children with disabilities.

Objective IV: Access: To ensure 1) families have access to programs and communities that

implement the Pyramid Model and SpecialQuest Approach, with other related evidence-based

practices; 2) professionals have access to resources that support the implementation of the

Pyramid Model and SpecialQuest Approach, with other related evidence-based practices.

Objective V: Leadership:To demonstrate Colorado as the national leader for state-wide

implementation of the Pyramid Model and SpecialQuest Approach, integrated with other

evidenced-based practices.

For each of the 5 objectives, The State Policy Team has identified work groups comprised of

State Team members as well as other stakeholders to ensure that key voices are reflected in

their work. The work groups developed an action plan for each objective. The action plan

indicates the steps needed to achieve the objective, the timeline and team member responsible,

resources and potential partners, indicators of success and how the work will be evaluated.

To facilitate the work of the Pyramid Plus State Policy Team, the Pyramid Plus Center:

a) Provides administrative support and team facilitation

b) Integrated procedures and action plans of both the Pyramid Model Team and

SpecialQuest Team

c) Develops policy, scale-up, and

sustainability materials for State

Policy Team

d) Implements the state plan in

concert with the State Policy Team

e) Prepares reports and other policy

materials for State Policy Team and

others

f) Convenes a Policy Summit


December 2011

Policy Summit

Pyramid Plus conducted the first Policy Summit in Denver in October 2010.

The purposes of the Policy Summit were: 1) to explore the various avenues and resources for

developing policies for young children and their families at the local, county and state levels;

and, 2) to generate recommendations for advancing policies that address early childhood

inclusion and challenging behavior. The format of the Policy Summit included a panel discussion,

question and answer session from the participants, and a small group work session. Senator

Evie Hudak, brought greetings.

The Policy Panel was titled “Advancing Policy Agendas to Address Early Childhood Inclusion and

Challenging Behavior”. The Policy Panel included local, county and state decision makers:

Rosemarie Allen Director Division of Child Care, Colorado Department of Human Services;

Ardith Ferguson Program Manager, Early Intervention Colorado Division for Developmental

Disabilities, Colorado Department of Human Services; Sarah Hoover Director of Community

Education JFK Partners, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Jeanne Nicholson Gilpin

County Commissioner; Evelyn Sickel Coordinator of Special Education - Early Childhood

Education Cherry Creek School District; Bev Thurber Executive Director Early Childhood Council

of Larimer County; Senator Suzanne Williams; Claudia Zundel Early Childhood Specialist Division

of Behavioral Health, Colorado Department of Human Services; and Representative from PEAK

Parent Center. The Policy Panel moderator was Elizabeth Groginsky Director Colorado Head

Start State Collaboration Office.

The small group work session followed and focused on recommendations for advancing the

early childhood policy agendas related to inclusion and challenging behavior.


December 2011

Ensuring Public Awareness, Sustainability and Scale-up

Collect and Use Data / Rigorous Evaluation The Pyramid Plus Center has developed robust processes for measuring needs in programs and

communities, evaluating outcomes of the certification process of trainers and coaches, for

evaluating the effects of the Pyramid Plus practices on child, teacher and program outcomes as

well as the impact and value of trainings and technical assistance. Examples of the types of data

available are evident throughout this report. In addition, the Pyramid Plus Center provides a

monthly update to its funders on progress on each project objective. All of these evaluative data

are used for continuous program improvement, public awareness, sustainability and scale-up.

Engage in Public Awareness Pyramid Plus continues to work with the State Policy Team on their public awareness objective:

To ensure the public recognizes the Pyramid Model as a set of evidence-based practices that

promotes the healthy social and emotional development of infants and young children, and

SpecialQuest as an effective approach to promoting the inclusion of infants and young children

with disabilities.

In January 2010, Pyramid Plus launched a web site: www.pyramidplus.org. There were over

10,000 unique visitors this year. There have been nearly 400,000 hits to the site, and over

56,000 pages visited. There is a newsroom section of the website that posts Pyramid Plus in

news throughout Colorado. Pyramid Plus is on Facebook with 78 followers and 472 wall views.

Other web sites refer to Pyramid Plus and link to www.pyramidplus.org

Highlights of the Pyramid Plus Web Site Survey

Response Collection Period 1/1/10-9/30/11




December 2011


December 2011

In addition, Pyramid Plus has an E-newsletter, Pyramid Plus News, that can be subscribed to on

the web site or by contacting Pyramid Plus. There are currently over 600 subscribers.

Plan for Sustainability and Scale-up

The Pyramid Plus Center is expanding current efforts to implement the Pyramid Plus Approach.

Certifying trainers and coaches is an ambitious, state-wide effort to meet quality assurance and

sustainability goals well into the future. Many more are currently enrolled in certification. These

professionals are located throughout the state and will engage in sustaining and scaling-up the

effort for years to come. They play a critical role in ensuring the quality of the Pyramid Plus

Approach and that children and families and professionals benefit from these effective

practices.

The Pyramid Plus Center staff worked with the State

Policy Team to develop a sustainability plan focused

on garnering the funding, staffing and other resources

to meet the needs of programs and communities. Part

of that sustainability plan is to expand partners and

funders. This year the Colorado Health Foundation

funded an effort to work with targeted communities

and Early Childhood Councils to build their internal

capacity to reach high needs children and families.

Additionally, this Fall, CDHS Division of Child Welfare

Services began funding an effort to strengthen

linkages in Pyramid Plus Implementation

Communities between EI Colorado and Child Welfare

services for infants and toddlers at risk of or

experiencing abuse and neglect. A second

component of the sustainability plan is to offer

Pyramid Plus services for a fee both within the state

and outside. In the coming months, the web site will

provide a menu of services and fees that communities, programs and states may utilize.

“NEED...NEED...NEED!!!!

Pyramid Plus needs to be

refunded!!! We MUST continue

forward. It would be

devastating to stop this work at

this point in time. The forward

movement, the momentum

would be lost. If Pyramid Plus

continues, we can build on our

accomplishments. I have seen

that the movement picks up

energy, exponentially, after 3-4

years.”

- Survey Respondent in coach

certification


December 2011

Pyramid Plus Work Across Colorado

Color Code- Pyramid Plus Coaching Candidates

Pyramid Plus Certified Coaches

Pyramid Plus Trainer Candidates

Pyramid Plus Certified Trainers

Pyramid Plus Training Attendees

Pyramid Plus Demonstration Sites and Implementation Community Sites


December 2011

For more information, please contact

Pyramid Plus: The Colorado Center for Social Emotional Competence and Inclusion

University of Colorado Denver

1380 Lawrence Street, Suite 643

Denver, CO 80204

www.pyramidplus.org

[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

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