The program was created as a brainstorm of the Connections group. Connections is made up of area childcare providers, kindergarten teachers, and the public school preschool liaison. Area childcare providers felt they needed support in handling children who exhibit disruptive, aggressive, and inappropriate behavior that is beyond the norm for their developmental stage. Helping Hands was formed to meet the needs of area childcare providers.

The Helping Hands team is made up of a social worker, a child psychologist, three parent-educators, and an early childhood developmental specialist who acts in the role of facilitator.

A community worker from Child and Family Agency, one of CFI's partners, was selected as the coordinator of Helping Hands. Child and Family Agency also provided the three parent-educators in-kind. Their regular job assignments were to the Family Resource Centers and the Healthy Families Program. The Connections group wanted a social worker and a child psychologist as part of the team. Those positions were subcontracted. The team met to establish procedures and determine the information needed to develop an action plan. Funding for the program comes from the New London School Readiness Council, Child and Family Agency, and the Children First Initiative.

To make a referral, the childcare provider or the parents complete a referral form explaining the child's challenging behaviors. Parents must sign the release of information that allows team members to observe the child and for team members, providers, and parents to exchange information regarding the child. These two forms are forwarded to the coordinator. The coordinator assigns the case to a parent-educator. The family and the parent-educator meet to fill out the developmental history form and gather information about the child at home. The parent-educator observes the child in the classroom setting. If the team feels further information is needed, either the social worker or the child psychologist observes the child again or meets with the family.

A meeting is scheduled with the parents, childcare staff, and the team. All of the information gathered is reviewed. A behavior plan is developed. All participants are involved in creating the behavior plan. This action plan includes what the family, provider, and/or team members will do to help resolve the challenging behavior. This form is signed by all members and serves as a contract with all members to make sure that they follow through with the action plan. The parent-educator continues to follow up with the family and the provider.

Resource kits are available and include activities promoting pro-social behavior, resource books for providers and parents, children's books on a variety of topics, and behavior management suggestions. The kits provide resources that are hands-on tools for parents and providers to try at home and in the centers.

Continued funding will be available through the New London School Readiness Council and Child and Family Agency.

The program struggles to get appropriate referrals. Providers have now been asked to refer children at the first signs of a challenging behavior. Currently, providers are referring as a last resort, and in many cases the child is expelled from care before the program has been given time to work.

Disseminating information about Helping Hands has been difficult. The program's child psychologist spoke at a Connections meeting. Information has been mailed to all providers, but new ways of informing parents and providers about the program need to be developed.

It would be appropriate to expand this program to include a support group for parents of children with challenging behaviors. Currently, funds are not available to start this group, although a proposal has been made for funding.

The children, parents and childcare providers who have completed the Helping Hands intervention have all benefited from the program. The providers have learned new approaches to handling children with challenging behaviors. They have the support they need. They also gain a broader picture of the child and the family by going through the process. This encourages families to feel bonded with their children's childcare providers. Helping Hands creates a communication link for childcare providers and parents and provides a medium for them to work together to address challenging behavior instead of blaming each other. Having families and providers work together shows parents ways to be involved in their children's education. Children are experiencing positive preschool experiences and are faced with fewer and smoother transitions.

When it comes to dealing with children with behavioral or developmental problems, the Coast Guard Academy Child Development Center turns to New London's Helping Hands program, a program the Center helped develop. "When we come across a problem with a child or possibly a child's behavioral issue or a concern in their development, we use the professionals in Helping Hands to review our observations and do observations on their own," says Pat McIIveen, the director of the Coast Guard Academy Child Development Center.

Children getting expelled has always been a problem in childcare. Offering the additional resources of the Helping Hands program has benefited many children so expulsion was not a step that had to be taken. "We found it very helpful to have an extra set of eyes and more specialized expertise in identifying problems we had issue with, but we needed to validate our professional opinions."

The program has been very well received by both the staff and parents. It is not so much that Helping Hands has a different approach to verifying children's problems, but more that "they have a better resource of contacts throughout the community which sometimes can be very helpful for the families," say Ms. McIlveen. "It helps to have an extra set of ears to talk to."