The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), has identified a connection between nonmaternal care and problem behaviors in preschool age children (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD], 2003). In other words, when children between the ages of 3 and 5 are being cared for by others (not the mother/father/regular guardian) outside of the home, problem behaviors are higher. This knowledge may sound daunting to parents/guardians, but the possibility of an increase in problem behaviors does not outweigh the benefits of preschool attendance (i.e. higher math skills and more academic structure) (Bassok et al., 2016). Increased prevalence of problem behaviors, however, should not be overlooked, which is why Hanley et al. (2007) created the Preschool Life Skills (PLS) Curriculum. Hanley and colleagues aimed to decrease problem behaviors and increase student skills, without making it necessary for children to stay home with their parent(s)/guardian(s). Many replications and extensions of the original PLS study have focused on evaluating the entire curriculum, single units within the curriculum, as well as varying settings and populations. While there have been multiple other studies, none have focused on the Friendship Skills (FS) unit, or specifically, children from a tribal community. The current study implemented the FS unit alone, added tokens for correct responding, and focused the study within a tribal-run preschool. Through a multiple-baseline design, the study showed that the FS unit could increase target skills and at a faster rate with the addition of tokens, within the specified population. There are many caveats that come with this finding that are discussed, in addition to recommendations for future studies
