About Us

Harnessing HABITS is an initiative dedicated to helping families and children build positive habits for a successful life.

In today’s fast-paced world, many families feel disconnected and overwhelmed. We believe that proactive steps are key to creating positive change. Here’s how we help:

Strengthening Connections and Guiding Behavior:

We support families in fostering meaningful relationships and guiding children in understanding right from wrong. By being positive role models ourselves, we help reduce feelings of isolation.

Comprehensive Support for Family and School:

Using the HABITS framework with principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), we offer workshops, consultations, and personalized behavior plans designed to help children thrive at home and in school.

Trusted Expertise:

Our services are provided by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) who adhere to high ethical standards, ensuring quality support for families.

Focused on Long-Term Success:

We assist parents and educators in setting and achieving long-term goals by providing strategies to develop healthy habits and navigate daily challenges.

Screenshot_20240928-212906_edited_edited

About The Founder Of Harnessing HABITS

Chani Silverstein, MS Ed, BCBA,LBA is the founder of Harnessing Habits, an initiative and company dedicated to helping parents and educators build lasting, positive habits in children. With a Master’s in Special Education and as a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Chani uses Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to guide children’s growth.

Through her work with individual clients and families, Chani has witnessed how behavior can be transformed. She has helped children develop key skills like impulse control, flexible thinking, and problem-solving, leading to greater success in both school and social settings. Families have reported stronger relationships, increased confidence, and more effective strategies for managing behaviors. This success, combined with her experience teaching team-building STEM activities in mainstream schools, inspired Chani to found Harnessing Habits, making evidence-based strategies accessible to all families and educators.

The HABITS framework, grounded in ABA principles, is the foundation of Chani’s approach, helping children build positive habits that last. By empowering parents and educators, Harnessing Habits fosters lasting growth and independence, moving beyond temporary solutions.

Our Background

Harness HABITS to mentor, lead and shape the next generation!

Mission Statement:

At Harnessing HABITS, we aim to improve children's behavior and foster positive changes in adults in this modern world of distraction. By first recognizing how negative habits impact child development, our mission is to transform these habits into positive ones through the HABITS framework and evidenced based principles empowering both children and adults to thrive.

Vision Statement:

We envision a world where individuals of all ages are in touch with their goals, recognize the negative habits affecting their development, and actively transform these habits into positive ones to foster well-being and success.

Understanding Habits

How to Build Habits

Effective strategies include:

Habit Stacking:

Linking new habits to existing ones.

Setting Clear Goals:

Defining specific outcomes to work towards.

Tracking Progress:

Monitoring progress with tools like apps and accountability partners can help.

Common Challenges

Building habits can be tough. Many people struggle with:

Procrastination
Limited attention span
Lack of self control
Inconsistency

Recognizing these challenges is the first step to overcoming them.

Technology and Healthy Habits

Technology can distract us with notifications and social media, making it hard to focus. While it simplifies many tasks, it may lead to losing essential skills. Managing technology wisely is vital for building healthy habits.

Benefits of Positive Habits

Positive habits foster personal growth, increase productivity, and lead to meaningful relationships, resulting in a more fulfilling life.

Personalized Habits for Individual Growth:

We create personalized strategies to help coach individuals to thrive, respecting their unique learning journeys.

Here are key ABA principles that guide our work:

Positive Reinforcement:

We reward positive behaviors to encourage repetition, like praising a child when they share or listen.

Negative Reinforcement:

We remove unpleasant tasks to promote positive behavior. For instance, finishing homework quickly may allow a child to play sooner.

Prompting and Fading:

Prompting involves giving support to help a child complete a task, like saying, "Let's write your name at the top together."

Fading gradually reduces that support by asking questions like, "What should we do first"" This helps the child think through the steps independently while still receiving guidance.

Shaping:

We reward small steps toward a goal, like praising a child for writing one word, then two, and eventually a complete sentence.

Modeling:

Demonstrate behaviors for children to learn by example.

Data Collection:

Track behaviors to assess progress and inform decisions.

By applying these principles and more, we help families and children build positive habits for a successful life.

We are committed to supporting families and children in developing the skills they need to thrive.

Join us in cultivating positive habits for lasting growth!

Why Focus on Habits?

Positive habits lead to positive changes,-increased efficiency, and help us achieve our personal, professional, and educational goals. For children, positive habits foster academic success.

Negative habits can reduce productivity, harm health, and damage relationships. They also lead to missed opportunities, hinder academic progress and failure to achieve goals.

Habits are actions we perform automatically because we repeat them often. They influence our daily routines and affect our success and well-being.

HABITS Framework:

Habituation: Understanding how habits are formed through repeated behaviors.

Awareness: Recognizing the impact of habits on daily actions.

Behavior: Learning what behavior is through applied behavior analysis and how it shapes our habits.

Intent: Understanding the function of the behavior that forms the habit.

Transformation: Converting negative habits into positive habits for better outcomes.

Sustainability: Maintaining and reinforcing positive habits over time in a systematic way.

We use the HABITS framework with principles of applied behavior analysis to support positive change.

Discover More

What is the Harnessing Habits initiative, and who can benefit from it?

Harnessing Habits is an initiative dedicated to cultivating positive habits that promote growth and development in both children and adults. The program empowers parents, educators, and children to adopt positive habits that support educational and personal success, enriching areas such as relationships, resilience, and overall well-being.
What makes Harnessing Habits different from other programs?

Harnessing Habits uses the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to help children set goals and develop positive habits. Although ABA is often associated with children with autism, its strategies can benefit all children. By understanding how behavior works, we can support learning, social skills, and overall growth. Our research-backed approach provides effective tools for families and educators to help children thrive.
What is ABA?

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a proven approach that uses specific techniques to improve behavior. You might not realize it, but you already use ABA principles in your daily life—like following traffic rules to keep your family safe or earning a paycheck as a reward for your hard work. Think about how you encourage your child to complete their homework by providing praise or a small reward afterward. This is an example of using positive reinforcement, a core ABA principle. Or consider how you might set a routine for bedtime, which helps your child feel secure and know what to expect each night. By learning more about ABA and its principles, you can apply these techniques effectively in various situations, helping children achieve positive outcomes in their behavior and development.
How can I get started with Harnessing Habits?

To get started, please fill out our contact form, and we’ll assist you in determining which package or service best fits your needs. If you prefer to speak with us directly, feel free to book a free call, and we’ll confirm the details together.
What type of resources and support are available?

We offer workshops, skill training, consultations, and behavior plans to support both parents and teachers in fostering positive habits.
What outcomes can I expect from participating in your programs?

Our program is designed to improve behavior and relationship skills. By applying the HABITS framework with the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), we aim to support positive and lasting changes.
Why is it important to address adult habits as well?

Adults model behavior for children. Improving adult habits creates a supportive environment that benefits children’s growth and learning.
How long does it take to see results?

Results vary based on the behaviors addressed and consistency. We monitor progress and adjust the plan for optimal outcomes.
Can the program be adapted for different age groups?

Yes, our program is adaptable for all ages. We customize our strategies to suit each child's developmental stage and needs.
Is Coaching by Harnessing Habits a substitute for therapy?

No, it is important to note that the coaching and consulting services offered by Harnessing Habits are for personal development and are not a substitute for therapy, counseling, or mental health care. If you or your child are experiencing mental health issues or require medical treatment, please seek help from a mental health professional.