PA-YD 5: Promoting Positive Behavior and Healthy Peer Relationships
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Personnel use positive techniques to support and guide behavior and promote respectful, cooperative interactions among youth.
Rules and behavioral expectations:
- set clear and appropriate limits;
- are developed with input from youth enrolled in the program; and
- are conveyed and enforced in a fair, consistent manner.
Interpretation: As noted in PA-YD 3.01 and PA-CR 1.01, personnel should inform youth and their families about rules, expectations, and behaviors that might result in removal from the program.
Interpretation: Examples of ways to demonstrate implementation of this standard include, but are not limited to:
- Time is set aside to discuss rules;
- Personnel and youth work together to define rules that make sense to all;
- Personnel set realistic limits that are appropriate to the developmental level of youth in the program (e.g., personnel should not expect youth to be quiet most of the time);
- All youth are expected to abide by the same rules;
- Personnel take steps to ensure that youth understand the limits that are set; and
- Personnel set limits to prevent youth from hurting each other verbally or physically.
Personnel support positive behavior by:
- developing positive relationships with youth;
- helping youth develop and practice appropriate social skills;
- building on strengths and reinforcing positive behaviors such as sharing, cooperating, caring for materials, and joining in activities;
- encouraging youth to resolve their own conflicts, when possible and appropriate;
- responding consistently to issues;
- recognizing signs of boredom and redirecting as needed; and
- modeling appropriate behavior by interacting with other personnel in a positive, respectful manner.
Interpretation: Examples of ways to demonstrate implementation of this standard include, but are not limited to:
- Personnel often show appreciation and provide ongoing positive reinforcement and encouragement;
- Personnel avoid using insincere praise and threats to control behavior;
- Personnel teach youth how to communicate and cooperate;
- Personnel celebrate the efforts and progress of youth;
- Personnel use negotiation, reasoning, and redirection to help youth find alternatives;
- Personnel do not impose their solutions on youth;
- Personnel rarely lecture youth;
- Personnel help youth express their feelings;
- Personnel help youth understand how their behavior affects others;
- Personnel teach youth specific skills they can use to work through conflicts (e.g., circle time, peace table, or conflict resolution skills);
- If problems occur, youth are encouraged to discuss their differences and work out a solution, when possible and appropriate (i.e., if there is not a power imbalance between the involved youth); and
- Personnel handle conflicts in a way that reduces fear and disruption.
Youth generally interact in positive ways, and:
- appear relaxed and involved with each other;
- show respect for each other; and
- cooperate and work well together.
Interpretation: Examples of ways to demonstrate implementation of this standard include, but are not limited to:
- Youth show sympathy for each other;
- Youth willingly share materials and space;
- Youth demonstrate tolerance towards those who are different from them;
- Youth suggest activities, negotiate roles, and jointly work out the rules;
- Youth include those with developmental, physical, cultural, or language differences in activities;
- Youth help each other and learn from one another;
- Youth work on projects together;
- There is a strong sense of community;
- Youth listen to each other’s point of view and try to compromise;
- Youth know how to solve problems, and their solutions are usually reasonable and fair;
- Youth do not try to solve disagreements by bullying or acting aggressively; and
- Teasing, belittling, or picking on particular youth is uncommon.
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Research Note: Research has shown that encouraging youth to work together leads to more enjoyment and a greater likelihood that they will participate in the activity again. |
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Personnel strive to eliminate negative or unsafe peer interactions such as teasing, bullying, harassment, and relational aggression.
Interpretation: Examples of ways to demonstrate implementation of the standard include, but are not limited to:
- If youth tease, scapegoat, threaten, or exclude others, personnel step in; and
- When personnel hear insults or slang words used with a negative connotation they immediately step in to stop the behavior, and follow-up with youth to make sure they are okay.
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Research Note: Research shows that teasing and other forms of social rejection can have a significant, long-term impact on mental health and can lead to increased behavioral issues in young people. |
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When youth have special behavioral needs or issues, personnel respond appropriately.
Interpretation: Appropriate responses may vary, depending on the youth and the situation. If an enrolled youth is considered inappropriate for the program, personnel should: (1) initiate a conversation with both the youth and his/her family, and (2) make every effort to ensure that the family obtains information about programs and services that may be more appropriate for the youth. However, all possible accommodations and interventions should be exhausted before it is decided that a particular youth is not appropriate for the program.
Note: See PA-YD 4.05 for more information about responding appropriately to youth with special needs.
Negative approaches to behavior management are prohibited including, but not limited to:
- corporal punishment;
- aversive stimuli;
- withholding nutrition or hydration;
- inflicting physical or psychological pain;
- demeaning, shaming, or degrading language or activities;
- unnecessarily punitive restrictions;
- forced physical exercise to eliminate behaviors;
- punitive work assignments;
- punishment by peers; and
- group punishment or discipline for individual behavior.
