Workshops/How To Work With Families

• Child Focus
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Foster Parent Training - Options For Youth
• Inclusion in Schools: Real and Perceived Views of Full Inclusion - Dark Ages? Bright Futures
• Infants and Toddlers in Your Care: How to Nurture 0-3 Year-Olds in Group Care and at Home
• Learning and Teaching Styles
• Preparing Personnel to Work With Parents and Families
• Reducing Stress in the Lives of Young Chlldren
• Sample Forms for Teachers
• Ask Dr. Susan

Creating a Positive Time Experience

Job and Family Services - Foster Family Training

The ABC’s of Positive Parenting for Foster Parents

Research has shown that when parents spend 10-15 minutes of positive time listening to and interacting with their child(ren) every day, the child’s behavior generally improves. Therefore, we ask Teaching Parents to create positive time daily with each child they work with, and to track their efforts on a written form (see Positive Time Form). Positive time is a core skill all Teaching Parents must use each day as part of their agreement in becoming Teaching Parents.

Here are some ground rules to follow in planning your daily positive time period of 10 minutes with your child:

1. Create positive time of at least 10 minutes.
2. Create positive time every day.
3. Make positive time contingent, i.e., the child should not have to earn the 10 minutes with you.
4. Make positive time reinforcing to the child. It should be spent doing something the child wants to do. Practice Easy Listening during positive time.
5. Make positive time special for the child, i.e., initiate it yourself and make it a one-to-one interaction that involves you directly with the child. (Watching TV with the child is not creating positive time.)
6. Make positive time positive. Do not criticize, nag, lecture or remind during positive time. Practice pure descriptive praise and positive scan.