Welcome to TACSEI
The Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children, also known as TACSEI, is a five-year grant made possible by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. 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 to help decision-makers, caregivers, and service providers apply these best practices in the work they do every day. Most of these free products are available right here on our website for you to view, download and use.
The conceptual model TACSEI uses to deliver this important information is the widely endorsed Pyramid Model framework that was created to promote social-emotional competence and address challenging behavior. Watch an introduction to the Pyramid Model.
For additional information about the Pyramid Model and many other valuable resources, please visit our partner center's website:
What's New
TACSEI State Applications Due September 18, 2009
States are invited to participate in an early childhood professional development opportunity designed to support the social, emotional and behavioral development of children ages birth through 5 with a focus on those at risk for or with delays and disabilities. The broad goal of the state/TACSEI Partnership is to build state capacity to foster professional development of the early care and education workforce that: a) enhances knowledge and skills; b) supports the implementation and sustainability of evidence-based practices; c) increases the size of the workforce skilled in supporting the social-emotional development of young children (birth–5 years) in inclusive, natural environments. For more information about how to apply to become a TACSEI State, please download the application packet (available in Microsoft Word or Adobe pdf format).
Policy Brief: Administrator Strategies that Support High Fidelity Implementation of the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social-Emotional Competence & Addressing Challenging Behavior
Implementing the Pyramid Model with fidelity and achieving positive outcomes for children and their families requires that administrators understand their roles in the implementation process. Every administrative decision impacts program quality and sustainability. This Policy Brief underscores the importance of facilitative administrative practices that provide sustained commitment, timely training, competent coaching, the use of process and outcome data for decision-making, and the development of policies and procedures that are aligned with high fidelity implementation (July, 2009).
Promoting Social Behavior of Young Children in Group Settings: A Summary of Research
This brief synthesis just published by TACSEI provides a summary of intervention practices that are supported by empirical evidence for promoting adaptive social-emotional behavior of young children in group contexts (e.g., pre-K classrooms; child care settings). The focus of the synthesis is on toddlers and preschool children who are identified as having disabilities or who are at risk for disabilities, and who have identified problems with social-emotional behaviors. (August, 2009).
Response to Intervention and the Pyramid Model
Response to Intervention (RtI) offers a comprehensive model for the prevention of delays in learning and behavior. While this problem-solving framework was initially designed for application within Kindergarten to 12th grade programs, there is substantial research that supports the value of the model for application within early childhood programs. This paper provides an overview of RtI and discusses the Pyramid Model (Fox, Dunlap, Hemmeter, Joseph, & Strain, 2003) and its application for promoting young children’s social competence and preventing behavior challenges (June 2009).
