The Fears of Choosing a Child Care Facility: Part Two

The Fears of Choosing a Child Care Facility Part Two
 
               Welcome back for part two! If part one was helpful for you, please give a share on Facebook or Instagram in order to help more families like yours.
I hope that the last part made it so that you know how important is for families to interview prospective preschools and child care providers. I was watching a TV show last night with my husband, and in the show, it was depicted in the way that preschools will interview the families and choose them based on their abilities and services that they can provide for the school. THIS IS NOT HOW IT SHOULD BE. The schools need you to pay for the services, but your needs are more important. Families need the school to nurture development in all areas, provide empathy, share resources, and take care of your child physically and emotionally. The media has erased that from our collective minds, and makes it seem like you should be providing services (money, diversity, fundraising, donations equal to monetary value) for the schools, when in reality, that is not the case. You have the ability to interview them, and I am hoping that the tools provided in part one will help you know what to question.
               Alongside from providing your own sense of safety and security in the school, interviewing schools in this manner pushes the overall system of childcare to improve. When families take the power in this scenario, demanding quality care, then in the name of “supply and demand,” overall quality will rise. I beg of you- expect quality of us teachers, and overall the system will have no choice but to improve.
               I wanted to make a part two and will be making a part three, because I wanted to individually address two more topics. I wanted to address “Discipline Policies” and “Social-Emotional Curriculum.”
                                             Discipline Policy:
               Families, this should be included in your interview questions of the childcare center that you are choosing. Teachers, this should be included in your interview questions so that you know what to expect when you start the job, and be able to determine if it is a policy that you can agree with and are comfortable using.
 
What should the policy look like?
Just like curriculum should be designed to meet the developmental needs of a child, a discipline policy should be developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) as well.

1. There should be a “No Expulsion” policy. The center should recognize that young children only seek to learn or communicate. They should not villainize a child, or penalize the family for child-like actions.

For example:

1. It is common for young children to bite others because they want to communicate a need: They are hungry; their teeth hurt; they don’t have the words to ask for space; they are frustrated and don’t have the words to communicate this…
2. An older child knocks down a tower another child built because they want to watch it fall and see what happens (Cause and Effect)- Not because they want to break another child’s work.
3. Children yell because they still need to be taught how to regulate their emotions (happy or sad or mad). They yell because they enjoy the sensory output of the sound, the vibrations in the chess, and the feeling.

1. When a child consistently does something that is not safe for others or themselves, or is against the class policy, then the teacher will take time to teach the behavior.
   1. This could look like “Partnering” where a teacher moves everywhere the child goes to, and scaffolds and narrates the environment, predicting what might happen.

i.For example of narrating: If the child often hits others when frustrated, the teacher may stay by their side and narrate to help predict and problem solve. “Oh look, I see Elliot coming over to join us. Do you want him close or do you want space? You chose to have space. Let’s tell Elliot ‘I need space. You can play this far away from me.’ I see Elliot wants to play with the same toy you are holding. What can we do? Should we take turns, or find another toy for Elliot to play with.”

1. The teacher may create a story or puppet show about similar events to share at group time and have the class help come up with solutions for the puppet.

1. The teachers use observations and assessments when the behavior persists.
   1. Observations can help find out what time of day the incidents are occurring; who the child is around; what the triggers are; etc. Knowing can help prevention.
2. There is a location in the classroom for safe and monitored gross-motor play. This can help the children release energy. When energy is built too high, children can become frustrated and find other ways to release the energy.
3. There is a calming section of the class where children can go to be alone. If a child is taught to go to this area when feeling strong emotions, the teacher will know to go and support this child and help problem solve.

Essentially, when it comes to discipline, the teachers are teaching. The true definition of the verb, discipline is “to train.” As teachers, we have to train and teach skills. Threats do not teach a child anything but to threaten others. Yelling at a child only teaches that they can yell at others when angry. Physical punishment (NEVER ALLOWED IN CHILD CARE) only teaches that children should hit when frustrated or angry. Time-Out does not teach a child anything but to be sneakier in order to avoid time-out, or teaches that their emotions don’t matter because you will just send them away.
In a nut-shell, it is important to make sure that the school’s discipline policy matches what the fields of psychology and child development are finding in the most recent and respected studies. Next week, I will continue with Social-Emotional Skills that support the ability to discipline a child and teach them how to be safe.

If you’ve read this, give a share so that it can support others. Whether you agree or disagree, share your thoughts alongside! Let me know what you think.
Wishing you well,
-Teacher Emmy