The basis for Renaissance Children’s Center (RCC) is the Pyramid Model for teaching social and emotional competence which also supports the cognitive and physical development of the children. The Pyramid Model provides a framework of best practices in early care and education, at the base of which is building positive and caring relationships between children, adults and families. RCC’s resources for this foundation come from ECE CARES, a teacher training program which focuses on providing an emotionally and physically safe learning environment. Created by Dr. Suzanne Adams from the University of Colorado at Denver, the in-depth training prepares staff to work more effectively with young children with behavioral challenges and with children and families who have experienced trauma, stress, and/or violence. Relationships are also supported by the Caring Connections training from Relationship Roots Inc.
The second level of the Pyramid Model involves creating supportive predictable environments. This is provided at RCC by High/Scope Educational Research Foundation’s cognitively oriented curriculum. Based on over 40 years of longitudinal research on its original preschoolers, High/Scope focuses on “active participatory learning” – direct, hands-on experiences with people, objects, events, and ideas initiated by the child. Key experiences and tasks are used for observing, planning, and adding material to the curriculum as well as assessing children’s development.
The LINC from Relationships Roots, Inc. supports the third level of the Pyramid Model by incorporating direct teaching of social skills such as problem solving and conflict resolution, understanding feelings of self and others, empathy, and friendship skills. The LINC was developed and tested by therapists and teachers in a therapeutic preschool setting and is designed for children in preschool through first grade.
All levels of the Pyramid Model are supported age-appropriately throughout all classrooms at RCC.