The University of Victoria’s CanAssist program, funded by the government of British Columbia, has produced the Excellence in Action series of short videos featuring outstanding educators, centres, and approaches in the field of child care, accompanied with a free digital toolkit.

The CanAssist program was developed because “consultation processes showed that valued members within the child care community need support, strategies, and tools for understanding and supporting the diverse behaviours encountered in child care centres”. The program offers:

·      A position statement

·      Free online training

·      The Excellence in Action video series

·      A digital toolkit for supporting children and their behaviours

Behaviour in the Early Years is a free, online, self-paced course where learners can earn 10 professional development hours. Topics include:

·      Understanding Children’s Behaviours

·      The Learning Ecosystem: Relationships

·      The Learning Ecosystem: Environments

·      Applying Your Knowledge: Scenarios

To learn more and to register for the course, go to: www.bcearlyyearshub.ca

The Excellence in Action series of short videos showcases centres across BC who are doing “excellent work in supporting children’s behaviours through the environments, relationships, and understandings of behavior”. There is a complementary worksheet to accompany each video to assist in integration of learning.

The Environments worksheet includes questions to help review observations from watching the video, along with an Action Plan Template based on the video.

The Relationships worksheet includes suggestions for activities and an Action Plan Template.

The Understanding Behaviour worksheet includes an exploration of externalized and internalized behaviours to consider in the context of how various emotions affect our own feelings and behaviours and the Sprectrum of Behaviour Responses tool.

The digital toolkit is a “standalone resource intended for a universal audience…. While the online training is targeted for early childhood professionals, the resources in the toolkit have been created with Universal Design for Learning in mind. Parents, early childhood professionals, and community partners are all able to access and utilize the tools and share it with their child care communities.”

Posters include:

·      Affirmations Poster Pack

·      Be a Stress Detective

·      The 3 Be’s of Behaviour

·      The 4 C’s of Capacity

·      Emotional Regulation: Lend Your Calm

·      4 Functions of Behaviour

·      Learning Ecosystems

·      Sensory Profiles

Conversation Guides include:

·      Exploring Your Program’s Behaviour Policy

·      Getting to Know the Children in Our Care

·      Integrating a New Strategy With Your Team

·      Providing Feedback to a Colleague

·      Safety Discussions

·      Talking About Behaviours

·      Working with Community Partners

Other resources include:

·      Behaviour in the Early Years: Behaviour Policy Template

·      Behaviour in the Early Years: Building a Learning Ecosystem

·      Behaviour in the Early Years: Inclusive Child Care Phrasebook

·      Behaviour in the Early Years: Self-Care Handbook for Early Childhood Professionals