Behaviour Management
Our Staff Manual includes the following Behaviour Management policy that is in effect at all times.
Behaviour management is one of the greatest challenges you will face in caring for children. The Yukon Child Care Regulations have some specific guidelines to be considered. Among them are:
We recognize there will be times when the children in our care may not be able to control their emotions and act in unacceptable ways toward others. Our strategy for minimizing the need for “discipline” is called preventative maintenance, the act of being aware of the environment and scanning to intercept situations before they might arise into conflict. We also endeavor to arrange the environment to best suit the needs of the children. We believe that by doing this, their interactions are enhanced with each other.
When children do need to have adult input, we will use redirection in a positive manner to diffuse difficulties. In the case that all efforts have been exhausted and the child is not responding to our limits, we will use limited timeout as a means to help the child gain control and be able to re-enter group play successfully.
We also note that it is our responsibility by law to report any suspected child abuse. Our top concern is your child’s safety, and we are committed to helping you keep your child safe.
At our center, as is the case with many other centers across town, we have adopted a “Zero Tolerance for Violence” policy to ensure not only the safety of your own child/ren, but also the other child/ren in the center. This means that any violent play observed by the caregiver is immediately halted. As such, pretend play such as with weapons of any type is not permitted at our center. If the behavior is serious enough in nature the parent / guardian may be contacted by the center.
Behaviour management is one of the greatest challenges you will face in caring for children. The Yukon Child Care Regulations have some specific guidelines to be considered. Among them are:
- Observe and assess the environment and individual children to anticipate situations and prevent problems by structuring space, materials, schedule, cleanup and transitions.
- Understand and apply child development knowledge to set and consistently enforce realistic, developmentally appropriate, clear, consistent rules and limits for behaviour.
- Be direct and clear with children when explaining how you want them to behave. Lower yourself to the child's level when speaking to him or her.
- Listen to children's feelings and frustrations and respond quickly and calmly to situations that require guidance.
- Redirect inappropriate behaviour to a more acceptable activity. (E.g. If you want to hit something you can bang the floor or use this "clobber clay").
- Be aware of your own feelings and accept your own humanness. Be a positive role model when dealing with others.
- Respect and value each child's unique feelings, developmental stage and background.
- Use preventative guidance by showing attention and affection to each child when they are not seeking it.
- Allow children the right to make mistakes and solve their own problems. Give them responsibility for the consequences of their behaviors (i.e. wiping up spilled juice).
- Allow only realistic choices. (I.e. instead of saying "Do you want to pick up the toys?" Say instead, "It is time to pick up the toys").
- Challenge children physically so they can burn off excess energy.
- Any isolation in a closed, separate room without staff supervision is prohibited.
- No form of physical punishment, verbal or emotional abuse or denial of physical necessities of any child can be permitted, practiced or inflicted.
We recognize there will be times when the children in our care may not be able to control their emotions and act in unacceptable ways toward others. Our strategy for minimizing the need for “discipline” is called preventative maintenance, the act of being aware of the environment and scanning to intercept situations before they might arise into conflict. We also endeavor to arrange the environment to best suit the needs of the children. We believe that by doing this, their interactions are enhanced with each other.
When children do need to have adult input, we will use redirection in a positive manner to diffuse difficulties. In the case that all efforts have been exhausted and the child is not responding to our limits, we will use limited timeout as a means to help the child gain control and be able to re-enter group play successfully.
We also note that it is our responsibility by law to report any suspected child abuse. Our top concern is your child’s safety, and we are committed to helping you keep your child safe.
At our center, as is the case with many other centers across town, we have adopted a “Zero Tolerance for Violence” policy to ensure not only the safety of your own child/ren, but also the other child/ren in the center. This means that any violent play observed by the caregiver is immediately halted. As such, pretend play such as with weapons of any type is not permitted at our center. If the behavior is serious enough in nature the parent / guardian may be contacted by the center.