As noted above, one element of a safe and supportive environment is consistent and 

predictable behavior management strategies. 

Educators can be guided in this by the organization's policies and procedures on behavior management. 

These documents outline the service's philosophy on working with the child and the parent in a 

consistent and supportive approach. 

Policies should recognize that children learn by exploring, pushing boundaries, and 

dealing with the consequences of their actions The early childhood environment's 

rules and limits may differ from the rules at home, as the rights of the individual to 

express themselves are balanced with the needs and safety of the group. 

Fox and colleagues (2003) use the concept of the teaching pyramid' to represent a 

hierarchy of strategies that are typically used to guide, support and address behavior 

problems in educational settings for young children. 

The model (FIGURE 85) has as its foundation supportive, positive relationships 

between educators and children. 

Preventative strategies are the next stage, followed by social and emotional teaching 

strategies and, finally, individual behavior management if necessary. 

The idea of this hierarchy is that, if the bottom levels of the pyramid are used effectively, very few 

children will require individualized plans for behavior management (Sugai et al. 2000, 

cited in Fox et al. 2003).