Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Pyramid Model a curriculum?
The Pyramid Model is a conceptual framework of evidence-based practices for promoting young children’s healthy social and emotional development. The Pyramid Model works in conjunction with the program’s curriculum, but is not a curriculum itself.
What age group does the Pyramid Model support?
The Pyramid Model practices and interventions are focused on supporting young children, ages birth to 5 years (i.e., infant-toddler, preschool, kindergarten). For some children with developmental disabilities, they may also be useful up to 8 years old, depending on the disability.
Can I use the Pyramid Model for school-aged children (K-12)?
For certain children with developmental disabilities, the Pyramid Model may also be useful up to 8 years old. The practices and interventions of the Pyramid Model, however, are geared toward younger children (up to 5 years).
The school-aged version of the Pyramid Model is School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (referred to as PBS or PBIS) and is appropriate for grades K-12. The difference between the Pyramid Model and PBIS is that each framework contains age-appropriate practices and interventions for their age group, but the PBS concepts are the same. Learn more about school-age PBIS at pbis.org.
How can I order one of the CSEFEL DVDs (e.g. “Promoting Social Emotional Competencies” video)?
DVDs are no longer for being sold. The videos are available for viewing or download in our resource library.
How can I get printed copies of your resources or newsletters?
Unfortunately, we do not provide printed versions of our materials. Users are welcome and encouraged to print and share any of the resources on our website.
Can we post/share your resources on our website/social media/training?
Absolutely. Any resources on our website are free to link, share and reproduce, unless otherwise noted on the document (i.e. publications made by other national institutions). To learn more, please read our terms of use.
Can we adapt your resources to fit our specific needs?
Any NCPMI resources can be adapted for educational purposes without needing prior approval. Please provide the appropriate citation on the adapted document.
For adaptations of NCPMI resources for commercial use, please submit your request for permission, in writing, via the contact form on this page.
For documents shared on our NCPMI website belonging to other organizations, please contact the that organization for permission.
Are any of your resources translated to other languages? How do I find them?
At every tier of the Pyramid Model, practitioners and programs should consider strategies that welcome and support diverse families, including providing materials and communications in the family’s native language. With that goal, NCPMI is working on expanding our resource library as resources permit.
To find NCPMI resources in a specific language, go to the resource library and use the ‘Language’ filter option to select from one of the available languages.
Translated resource provided by Pyramid Model partners and the community will be located in the community contributions page. Please note that we are not able to certify the accuracy of translations posted to the community page.
How can I get an NCPMI resource in a language not already available in the resource library or community contributions page?
Due to NCPMI’s limited funding and resources as a non-profit, as well as the great diversity of communities and language needs, we rely on and encourage our partner agencies and the Pyramid Model community to translate and share our materials as best fits their needs.
Should you decide to translate any of our resources, please read our translation page first which includes a translation notification form and translation guidelines. We also encourage you to share the translation on our community contributions page so that others may also benefit from them.
How is NCPMI related to the Pyramid Model training program in my state?
While NCPMI is a national technical assistance center supporting implementation of the Pyramid Model nationwide, some states have established their own state- and privately-funded program to support the implementation of the Pyramid Model. Both NCPMI and state Pyramid Model centers share the common mission of implementation of the Pyramid Model. These centers regularly use the NCPMI materials and may also participate in the annual NTI conference, which is hosted by NCPMI.
How does NCPMI support states and how do states apply for technical assistance?
NCPMI provides various TA opportunities, which vary in degree of intensity and subject matter, to meet a variety of state support needs. Types of TA include:
- Targeted TA – less intensive and focused on information and guidance
- Intensive TA – involves a 2-year commitment, readiness criteria for state implementation and scale-up, and our investment of substantial on-site support by NCPMI faculty
Information about individual TA opportunities and applications are available on the Technical Assistance page. TA opportunities will usually include an informational webinar that will address questions about the TA and application. The following year’s TA opportunities will be posted once available and may change as we respond to state needs and OSEP directives.
How can I attend a training on the Pyramid Model?
To see the available options for getting trained on the Pyramid Model and related topics, as well as reliability trainings, visit the Get Trained page.
Can I get NCPMI to train my early childhood program or school district staff?
NCPMI hosts an annual training conference, which includes 2 days of preconference workshops (optional), a keynote, and 3 days of intensive training sessions. All levels of professionals that support young children can attended this training conference. For more information see our conference page.
Want to request a training for your group? Currently, NCPMI only provides training and TA at the state level. For training, TA, and consulting support at the program and school district levels, we have partnered the Pyramid Model Consortium (PMC) to provide this service. Please contact PMC for more info on their services and pricing.
It can be a challenge to pull all our teachers together for live/on-site trainings. Are there any other options more convenient to our schedule limitations?
NCPMI collaborates with the Pyramid Model Consortium (PMC) as a training dissemination partner. PMC provides ePyramid modules for on-demand and self-paced learning. Please visit the PMC website for course info and pricing.
NCPMI is not involved in the sale, delivery, or technical support of these modules. Please direct any questions about ePyramid modules directly to PMC via their contact form.
I have a question about, or need help with, the PMC ePyramid Modules.
NCPMI is not involved in the sale, delivery, or technical support of these modules. Please direct any questions about ePyramid modules directly to the Pyramid Model Consortium (PMC) via their contact form.
Do you do train the trainer trainings on the Pyramid Model?
NCPMI, in partnership with the Pyramid Model Consortium, provides pre-conference ‘train the trainer’ workshops for the Pyramid Model infant/toddler and preschool modules, during the annual National Training Institute (NTI) conference. For more information about the conference, including dates, workshops, and pricing, please visit our conference page.
At least twice per year, NCPMI also provides online ‘train the trainer’ workshops. To be informed when these trainings become available, make sure to monitor our social media regularly (facebook, instagram, x—formerly twitter) and sign up to our mailing list. These online trainings are free, though they fill up incredibly quickly—usually within minutes of opening. We do not offer waiting lists for these trainings.
Do your online training webinars provide certificates?
NCPMI webinars created after January 01, 2019 have a certificate of attendance. For webinars that we post provided by other partner organizations, please contact those groups with questions.
To receive the certificate of attendance, you must fill out the evaluation survey. The URL link to the survey is displayed at the end of the webinar recording. You will need to pause the video so that you can read and type the URL into another browser window. Note: Type the URL exactly as you see it. The URL is CASE SENSITIVE.
Once you submit the survey, the certificate will appear. You can then save and/or print your certificate.
I lost my training certificate. How do I get a new one?
How you get a new certificate will depend on who provided the training.
If your training was…
- an NTI conference or pre-conference workshop, fill out the contact form, on this page, and specify the name and email used to register and the year of the conference attended.
- an NCPMI online training webinar, note that webinars from January 2019 to present are stored in our webinar archive. You can review the webinar, then complete and submit the survey to get another certificate. We do not keep records of who completed online webinars, so we would not be able to look up your past attendance.
- an ePyramid Module provided by the Pyramid Model Consortium (PMC), you will need to contact them directly, as NCPMI is not involved in PMC trainings.
- a training provided by your state agency, a consultant, or by a trainer in your state, you will need to contact the state agency/trainer that provided the training. They do not provide us with records of who they train.
How can I get trained and certified in TPOT or TPITOS™
To see the available options for TPOT and TPITOS reliability training, visit the Get Trained page.
I attended the TPITOS or TPOT reliability training at NTI a few years ago. I was wondering how often an administrator of the TPITOS or TPOT should attend training to continue being reliable?
We currently do not have a process outlined for a “refresher,” nor does the training certificate expire for TPOT or TPITOS. This could change in the future. If you are not actively using the tool, you might consider attending the training again after 2 years. Otherwise, the best way to stay current is to intentionally use the tool several times a year and to conduct a TPITOS with a colleague to examine your inter-rater reliability.
What is the recommended preparation to be ready to facilitate a Positive Solutions for Families workshop?
Positive Solutions for Families provides the materials for a parent group facilitator to use to convene and support families of preschool-age children. The package is complete with facilitator scripts and is ready for use by an individual with a strong background in Pyramid Model practices, individualized positive behavior support, and the support of families. Facilitators should have a deep understanding of behavioral principles as applied in a parent-child context and the use of family-centered principles in consultation to families on behavior intervention strategies. Facilitators should have strong skills in providing training and conducting workshops.
If potential facilitators have these skills and dispositions, they should be able to take the materials and use them without additional training. However, it is helpful to attend a train-the-facilitators workshop to receive an orientation to the materials and how to conduct the series.
Is Positive Solutions for Families approved by Head Start?
Yes. PSF has been pre-screened for relevance by Office of Head Start. For more info, view their webpage, Parenting Curricula for Group-Based Delivery. The parenting curricula listed in these review databases have been pre-screened for relevance but are not endorsed by the Office of Head Start.
The practices included in Positive Solutions for Families are based on the evidence-based practices within the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social and Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children. Learn more about the research.
Is Positive Solutions for Families approved by SAMSHA?
As of March 1, 2024, SAMSHA has not reviewed PSF in its collection of evidenced resources. It has, however, been reviewed by Head Start.
The practices included in Positive Solutions for Families are based on the evidence-based practices within the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social and Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children. Learn more about the research.
I have a child in my classroom with challenging behavior. Can NCPMI give me some advice on how to help this child?
The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations seeks to improve and support the capacity of state systems and local programs to implement systems of support to improve the social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of all children. NCPMI does not provide individual behavioral consultation. We do provide many resources and training materials related to the prevention of challenging behavior, promotion of social-emotional skills, and the process for developing an assessment-based behavior support plan to provide individualized behavior intervention.
I need help with my child’s challenging behavior or medical diagnosis.
We are unable to address questions specific to a child’s individual diagnosis or behavior challenges. In the Pyramid Model, we guide programs to use Individualized Positive Behavior Support to develop and implement behavior interventions in collaboration with families. This is an approach that has been used with demonstrated success for children and adults with and without disabilities and has over three decades of research that has defined, documented, and tested the effectiveness of the approach. For more information on how this is used with young children, see these resources:
What is the difference between Teaching Tools for Young Children (TTYC) and Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Young Children (PTR-YC)?
Both TTYC and PTR-YC are resources to help support behavior intervention. Both are based on the research and concepts of the Pyramid Model and Positive Behavior Support.
TTYC is a collection of practical strategies and materials for teachers to use in the classroom. This includes ideas of interventions for children that do not need a functional assessment to determine the function of their behavior, or a team-based process to address persistent challenging behavior.
PTR-YC is a manualized version of a complete functional assessment process. It will help teams develop a hypothesis for function of behavior. PTR-YC is a published and copyrighted work, sold by Brookes Publishing, so we cannot share its contents on our website.
How does the Pyramid Model work with trauma-informed care?
Early childhood professionals who implement the Pyramid Model with fidelity have the capacity to promote the social-emotional skills of all children in the program and respond to the needs of all children and families. The use of Pyramid Model practices can buffer the impact of trauma and promote healing. For programs implementing the Pyramid Model, the intentional alignment of trauma-informed care (TIC) principles as outlined in this document strengthens the program’s ability to meet the needs of children and families impacted by trauma. The document below describes the relationship of the Pyramid Model to the implementation of TIC.
Questions about the ePyramid Courses?
The ePyramid online courses are offered for sale by the Pyramid Model Consortium. NCPMI is not involved in the sale, delivery, or technical support of these courses. Please direct any questions about these courses directly to PMC via their website.
