Preschool Intervention and Referral Services (PIRS)
What is PIRS?
The Preschool Intervention and Referral Services (PIRS) process is a structured, team-based approach to identify and support young children (ages 3–5) who may benefit from additional help in the areas of:
Communication
Behavior
Social-emotional development
Motor skills
Cognitive skills
Sensory processing
PIRS is not a special education placement. It is a general education initiative to ensure early support is provided before formal evaluation for special services.
Click Below to View the PIRS Handbook:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zq94aqngqCpYCcAmgk0x2aWPrTbdHubYq6qS9tkV3ys/edit?tab=t.0
Who is the Preschool Intervention & Referral Specialist?
The PIRS (Preschool Intervention and Referral Specialist) is a coach who provides support to teachers in their implementation of the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social and Emotional Competence in Young Children. The primary role of the PIRS is to provide coaching for the teacher to enhance his/her use of the Pyramid Model practices in the classroom. As needed, the PIRS consults with a team of experts, the Preschool Intervention and Referral Team, to provide strategies and possible interventions for the teachers to implement in the classroom to promote the success of all young children. The PIRS team is supervised by the school district preschool administrator and may include preschool teachers, special education teachers, behavior specialists, psychologists, learning disabilities teacher-consultants, school social workers, speech and language pathologists or other specialists.
What is The Pyramid Model?
The Pyramid Model in Preschool education refers to a framework used to support the social-emotional development and behavior management of young children in early childhood settings. This model is designed to promote positive behavior and prevent challenging behaviors through a tiered approach.
The 3 Tiers of The Pyramid Model:
Universal Tier (Tier 1): Promoting positive social-emotional development and preventing challenging behaviors for all children in the preschool setting. Strategies at this level may include creating a supportive and nurturing environment, teaching social-emotional skills through explicit instruction/modeling, and implementing classroom-wide behavior management techniques.
Targeted Tier (Tier 2): Tier 2 provides additional support to children who may be at risk for developing challenging behaviors or who are already exhibiting mild to moderate behavioral difficulties. It involves targeted interventions and support services such as small group social skills training, individualized behavior plans, and consultation with mental health professionals or behavior specialists.
Intensive Tier (Tier 3): This tier is reserved for children who require more intensive and individualized support due to persistent or severe behavioral challenges. That involves comprehensive assessments, development of highly individualized behavior intervention plans (BIPs), ongoing monitoring, and collaboration with families and external support services such as related services or specialized education programs.
The Pyramid Model emphasizes a proactive and preventive approach to addressing behavioral concerns, with an emphasis on building positive relationships, teaching appropriate skills, and providing consistent support across all tiers of intervention. The Model is widely used in early childhood education settings to create supportive environments that foster children's social-emotional well-being and overall development.
