Date of Award
1-1-1991
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Keywords
Training, Staff, Inservice Training, Staff Development, Preschool Children, Child Crisis Centre, Day Care Centre, Crisis, Family, Family Crisis, Family Problems, Child Abuse, Crisis Intervention, Emotional Response, Behavior, Children's Behavior, Behavior Management, Program Planning.
Abstract
This practicum was designed to strengthen and expand staff members' knowledge in working with children who were from crisis families. The first goal was to provide the staff members with information about children who are in stressful situations. The second goal was for the staff members to recognize child behaviors which need special attention. The third goal was for staff members to implement appropriate play programs for their clients. And, the fourth goal was for other staff members to provide an understanding and warm atmosphere for the children. The writer provided a four session in-service training program for staff members dealing with children's problem behaviors. Included in the training were the problems of aggressive behavior, withdrawn behavior, developmentally delayed behavior, unusually sensitive behavior and overly friendly behavior. By learning to recognize such problem behaviors, the staff members could respond more appropriately to them and plan programs according to the individual needs of children at the crisis center. The results of the practicum were positive. Analysis of the data revealed that the staff members had gained more knowledge about problem behaviors. From the observations of the writer, the staff members also responded correctly to the children and planned suitable programs for them. Feedback from staff members was positive. They felt that the in-service training had increased their awareness of children's needs and enhanced their effectiveness in working with children.