Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. (LCHS) was recently awarded a one-time grant totaling $78,173 from Moses Taylor Foundation to implement a new strategy that promotes positive behavior in the classroom among preschool-aged children.  The method, known as Teacher-Child Interaction Training-Universal or TCIT-U, is a professional development model designed to strengthen teacher-child relationship skills and increase teachers’ confidence in their ability to manage challenging behaviors in the classroom. 

The pilot teaching program will be applied in eight of the agency’s classrooms during the upcoming school year.  Education and mental health specialists from an Illinois-based company who are trained in this methodology are working with Head Start’s education team to teach the necessary skills needed to apply this universal prevention method in the classroom.  Additionally, LCHS has partnered with a local mental health specialist from the Children’s Service Center in Wilkes-Barre to help make this project a success.