Our
Effectiveness
Training participants report the
skills help young children calm down more easily, be less upset
about making mistakes and persevere. They also help children be
more empathic with other children, problem solve more effectively
and follow through better on expected behaviour.
RIRO skills training works
With several years of program development and evaluation under
its belt, RIRO has learned what works when it comes to teaching
skills and promoting "resilient" thinking and coping in adults
and young children. Founded in research and guided by ongoing
evaluation, this section summarizes the research and evaluation
findings that have led to RIRO’s success.
Rooted in research
RIRO was founded in the wide body of research conducted over the
past 30 years at the University of Pennsylvania and other university
centres which shows that our thinking habits and patterns have
a profound impact on our ability to cope with stress, our health
and longevity, happiness and success, and our resilience.
The same research has also shown that our thinking patterns are
not fixed – we can learn to be more resilient by changing
the way we think about adversity and opportunity.
Research at the Penn
Resilience Program (PRP) has primarily focused on the benefits
of fostering resilience in children eight years and older. However,
by eight, most children have already developed a thinking style,
or preferred way of viewing the world. Even children two and three
years old mimic the thinking and coping styles of caregivers around
them.
The RIRO Skills Training program was developed and designed to
influence young children's evolving thinking styles and key abilities
during this important window of opportunity.
Pilot
project results
RIRO received funding from Human Resources & Skills Development
Canada (HRSDC) in 2002 to adapt and pilot content from the Penn
Resilience Program and see what effect it would have on young
children up to age six. Child care centres were chosen as test
sites because of the daily contact between Early Childhood Educators
(ECEs) and young children and families.
ECEs in four pilot centres were taught the adult resiliency skills
from the Penn Resiliency Program. After practicing the resiliency
skills in their own lives, they systematically introduced the
skills through role modeling during their daily interactions with
children. ECEs also introduced selected skills directly through
child-friendly activities developed jointly with the RIRO research
team. The skills were used to support children's development of
several critical abilities associated with resilience –
emotional regulation, impulse control, causal analysis, empathy,
self-efficacy, realistic optimism and reaching out to others and
opportunities. For more information about the resiliency abilities,
click
here.
Formal evaluation through ECE reports revealed that the resiliency
skills training had positive effects on both the children and
staff in childcare centres.
Adult role modeling of the skills was found to be beneficial
for children of any age. Children as young as 3-1/2 years were
able to profit from the child-friendly resiliency activities presented
to them. Most importantly, the children in the pilot centres were
observed using the resiliency skills with their peers.
ECEs also reported benefits for themselves, including reduced
job stress, better adult communication and increased teamwork.
The skills had an overall positive impact on ECE's:
- interactions and relationships with children in their care
- interactions with colleagues, family, friends and acquaintances.
The skills helped them better understand:
- their own feelings, thoughts and behaviour
- children's behaviour
- other adult's behaviour
.
The skills helped children:
- calm down more easily
- be less upset about making mistakes and more likely to
persevere
- follow through better on expected behaviour
- be more empathic with peers
- problem solve more effectively.
View the full report (PDF)
about the pilot project.
RIRO's development and ongoing
evaluation
Based on the promising results of the pilot study, HRSDC provided
further funding in 2004 to develop a specialized and flexible
skills training program for ECEs and other child-serving professionals,
as well as curriculum modules for students in college and university
settings. The program was extended to include work with
children from birth to seven years.
More than 350 professionals participated in the development
and formal evaluation of the new RIRO resiliency skills training
program. Post-training follow-up surveys sent out between November
2005 and February 2006 (an average of four months after training)
confirmed the original pilot results. View
study highlights.
In 2006, RIRO was awarded 3-year project funding by the Ontario
Trillium Foundation to develop, pilot and evaluate RIRO's Trainer
program, and to roll out RIRO Skills Training in the Early Learning
and Child Care sector across Ontario. Ongoing follow-up evaluation
with skills training participants again has confirmed previous
findings and shows that this is not a training that 'sits on
the shelf':
- 96% of respondents report using the resiliency skills
at work
- 92% are using the skills at home and elsewhere
- 98% are role modeling the skills with children
- 60% of ECEs have already seen children introduced to
the skills using them with other children after only 3 months.
For more information, view
RIRO's ongoing follow-up evaluation.
Copyright
The Child & Family Partnership, 2009 | Site
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"This training makes you more aware of how you interact
with children and how you can misread their cues. It teaches
you to be more empathic towards children and their parents and
helps you think twice before making assumptions about them."
–RB (ECE, frontline)
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"This training is important for self-growth, self-evaluation,
and understanding of our own behaviors. It gives us tools to
understand the behaviors of others and assist them in developing
their resiliency."
–HT (manager, child care program)
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"Excellent training! I learned so much relevant information
that I can use in my work with children and families and also
my personal life."
–MSP (registered nurse)
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"The skills training really opens your eyes about how you
perceive yourself and the children in your care. It helps you
question your reactions and generate alternatives. It gives
you tools to build resilience."
–SC (ECE, frontline)
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"The
skills have had positive effects on both me and the children.
The skills help me to de-stress, put my thoughts together and
think more clearly. And when the children see me calm and relaxed,
they pick up on that vibe and feel calm and relaxed too."
– MS (preschool room teacher)
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"The resiliency skills have affected every aspect
of my life, both in personal relationships and as a manager
of a daycare centre. I've just become more effective in my relationships
with other adults."
–LD (manager, child care program)
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"I believe this program would benefit anyone who works
with children. I would love to know information and statistics
– let's say 10 years down the road – to see what the outcome
is for these children."
–CS (trainer)
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