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TODDLER HAVEN
Family Child Care and Home Preschool
  
Guidance Policy
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As both a parent and a childcare
provider, one of many of my goals is to teach children societal values and
respect. I approach this in a positive manner with love, consistency and
gentle firmness.
At times I realize
there may be a developmental age span between children in a day home. Younger
toddlers may not be adept in verbal communication, and may have difficulty understanding
or expressing feelings.
For children under 2 1/2 years
of age, I act mostly as a moderator, guiding them away from any behavior that
may occur among children at this age ( i.e. pushing, grabbing, pinching,
hitting). I strive to teach values such as sharing, respect for others,(
and themselves), and the importance of being gentle. This is a time in life when
kids can be impulsive and unpredictable. I approach this with the
knowledge that the toddler may not fully comprehend appropriate
behavior and they are still somewhat unaware
of the consequences of their actions.
Children of all ages must be given the opportunity to have rules explained in an
understandable way. The children will be
familiarized with the rules of Toddler Haven and if necessary, reminded of
appropriate behavior.
Should a situation
occur that may involve discipline, I personally believe and offer the
following methods for guidance with the most important being:
Encouragement/Positive
Reinforcement:
I believe children of any age, through encouragement and positive feedback can and will be
guided toward acceptable behavior. This reinforces a child’s self esteem.
Intervention and
discussion: Discussion
of problem solving ideas and options can help children learn to make better choices
in any foreseeable situation.
Redirection:
I find it most effective to offer alternatives to the children should
undesirable behavior occur. Redirecting the child's attention to another
toy, play area or activity, while still keeping them amongst the group.
Take a
Break/Time Out: S hould
discussion/redirection be ineffective, the child may be separated from the group
and provided the opportunity to relax and calm down. Depending on the severity
of the situation the child may placed in one of the following supervised breaks
and return back to the group once the negative behavior stops or is
significantly reduced.
(a) The child may "Take a
Break" away from the other children but allowed access to a lone "quiet
activity".
(b) The child may be placed in
“Time Out” for a period of one minute per year of age.
At the end of the "break time"/”time out” I will discuss
with the child, within their level of understanding, why the punishment was
necessary. This method usually suppresses the offending behavior while teaching
the child consequence, responsibility and empathy in a positive manner.
Loss of
privilege: Should neither supervised “break” be effective, and
the child shows understanding of the rules, a consequence may be imposed. This
may range from a favorite toy being taken away for a period of time, to being
excluded from a favorite activity.
Parents will be kept informed of any action taken.
In the rare instance that I feel any child in my care has a
serious discipline problem; I will hold a conference with the parent(s). If an
understanding cannot be reached, I do reserve the right to terminate our
contract, with as much notice as possible, in order to guarantee the safety and
comfort of other children in my care.
Taken from the Toddler Haven
Parents Handbook
August 2004
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2004-2022
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