Promoting positive behaviors in Pre-School Education: A European approach

Abstract

Pre-school education is a key setting for the promotion of children's socioemotional development. This study, in which 208 kindergarten teachers in Portugal participated, explores the results of the needs assessment carried out as part of a European project focused on the promotion of positive behaviours in early childhood education entitled Implementing Positive Behaviour Support in Early Childhood Education and Care (PBS-ECEC). The results suggest that several needs persist at the kindergarten level, namely in the training of kindergarten professionals to act effectively in promoting socioemotional development and thus preventing challenging behaviours. The responses provided by the PBS-ECEC to the needs identified by the professionals are discussed.