Reinforce positive behavior by recognizing children’s positive actions;• Adults model appropriate behavior by being consistent with what theprogram’s expectations for children;• Redirect children toward positive activities by interrupting a child’snegative behavior and steering the child toward an acceptable substituteactivity;• Teach children new skills and encourage them to discuss and resolve theirconflicts on their own or with the adult’s assistance when necessary ratherthan imposing an adult’s solution on them. Encourage children to expresstheir feelings in words and to resolve problems peacefully;• Ignore simple inappropriate negative behavior that is unpleasant;• Work in close partnership with parents to address children’s difficulties athome and at the program. Develop shared understanding to developconsistency between home and child care;• Observe and document children’s behavior;• Meet with parents, keep them informed of their children’s behaviors anddocument your parent discussions;• Assess specialized support services if a child’s behavior continues to beharmful to themselves or others. With written parental permission, referthe family for mental health counseling or other specialized services thatcan help address the child’s behavior problems. Follow your policy forreferrals;4. Supports that are available to assist child guidance efforts• Learn and list community supports available as an addendum to your childguidance policy; and,• Include addendum language that requires center based staff, (family childcare assistants if your program is family child care), attend communitytraining regarding child guidance/ techniques and good early childhoodpractices based on their individual needs.Test the policyAsk yourself and others in your program the following:1. Is the policy practical?2. Is the policy age-appropriate for all the children you care for and for yourenvironment?3. Will center based staff, (or family child care assistant if program is familychild care), be able to incorporate the policy and procedures into the dailyoperations of the program? What training may they need?4. Is the information in the policy accessible and easy to use?5. Does the policy do what it’s intended to do regarding the children’s healthand safety?Page 9 TAChildGuidanceGCC20051107

restraint involves the use of physical force on the child’s person by a caretaker.This is done to control the child’s movements and/or actions in order to motivatethe child to become more compliant with the caretaker’s authority and demands.The Department of Early Education and Care believes that behavioral control isneither logical nor appropriate for children in child care settings. No form ofpunitive punishment or physical restraint may be used on a child for discipline orfor the convenience of others.Emergency SituationsResponding to an emergency situation is neither an easy task nor one that shouldbe taken lightly. The best prevention is to know the children based on yourexperiences with them and the information you have about them from intakeinformation or from the parents. Useful information may include personality andhabits of a child, (i.e., If you know that a child is not capable on a given day tojoin a group activity, then care should be taken to make other programarrangements for the child to avoid becoming involved in a struggle that mightlead to a negative behavior).

Effective Ways A Provider May Respond Include:There is a difference between Child Guidance and punishment. That differenceplays a big part in the kind of person each child becomes.Positive Child GuidanceDepartment of Early Education and Care licensedprograms may not use child guidance techniques thatuse of any form of punitive punishment or physicalrestraint. Punitive punishment is spanking or use ofother physical forms of abuse; subjecting children tocruel or severe punishment such as humiliation, verbalabuse, neglect; depriving children of meals or snacks;force feeding children; and disciplining a child forsoiling, wetting, or not using the toilet; or forcing achild to remain in soiled clothing or forcing a child toremain on the toilet, or using any other unusual orexcessive practices for toileting and other practicesused to motivate the child to become more compliantwith the caretaker’s authority and demands. Physical• Separate the child from the environment, but have the child remain withinthe teacher/provider’s immediate and direct supervision until the child isable to regain self-control and re-join the group;• Have the teacher/provider place him/herself in close proximity to the childuntil the child is able to regain self-control when the child cannot beremoved from the environment. In this instance, the teacher/provider mustalso remove anything within the child’s immediate reach that is a potentialdanger to the child or others.• If necessary, the teacher/provider may use another adult to support andassist in calming the child until the child is able to regain self-control.• Talk calmly to the child; this is always appropriate.Page 4 TAChildGuidanceGCC20051107

Small Group, Large Group and School Age Child Care Licensin

Step 1: Notice how you are feeling.Tuning in to your feelings is very important. When you are notaware of your feelings, it is easy for them to interfere in yourability to build strong, positive, relationships with families.Adele watches her niece’s son, Eduardo, each day—whichshe really enjoys. But her niece, Tasha, is often late to pickhim up and never calls. Adele is really frustrated and angry.She feels it’s very disrespectful and that she is being takenadvantage of. When her niece does eventually show up,Adele is very abrupt and annoyed in her tone. The two adultsbarely communicate. Eduardo glances from one to the otherand looks very tense. Tasha whisks him away and Eduardodoesn’t even say good-bye to his auntie whom he adores.Recognizing the impact on Eduardo, Adele decides to talk toTasha about her feelings and to see about making a plan to helpTasha arrive on time, and at least to call to let Adele know she isrunning late. When Adele takes the approach of partnering withTasha in solving the problem, versus blaming her, Tasha is opento discussing solutions.Step 2: Look at the interaction from thechild’s point of view.Tuning in to the child’s experience can reduce tension and leadto joint problem-solving. Take the example of a child throwing atantrum when their parent comes to pick them up. This situationcan naturally make a parent feel incompetent and embarrassed.But if you look at it from the child’s point of view, you canreframe the issue in a way that doesn’t make the parent feel badand that also helps them understand the complexity of the child’sbehavior: “It seems like Stephanie is trying to tell you, I’m havingso much fun with the dollhouse that I need a little time to adjustto the idea it’s time to leave for the day.” Or, “Stephanie has kepther emotions in all day and now that her safe person is here, shecan really let her feelings out. It is hard to share a day with so manychildren no matter how much fun it is.”In the cases where a child is more cooperative with you than theparent, again, help them see it from the child’s perspective:“Yes, Tony puts his coat on when I ask him to, but that’s because heknows I have to help the other kids too. Kids learn quickly that therules and expectations at home and here can be different. He tellsme all about how you make sure he is zipped up and how youalways check that he has his hat. He talks about you all the time.It is always hardest for parents and families. Children work thingsout with the people they are most connected to.”Step 3: Partner with families.Developing a plan together with families on how to handle achild-rearing issue helps you move forward as partners, insteadof competitors. For example, if you are trying to teach childrennot to hit when they are angry, but the parent hits the child todiscipline them at home, you can:f Use “I” statements. “I know we are both concerned aboutErica hitting other kids when she’s here. I really work with thekids on finding other ways to show angry feelings. I don’t hitthem because when adults hit children when they are angry,it teaches children to hit as well when they are mad.”f Ask for the parent’s perspective. Clarify the parent’s feelingsand beliefs on the issue. Ask questions to learn, not to passjudgment: “What are acceptable ways to you for Erica to expressher angry feelings? What do you do at home? What do you findworks? What doesn’t work? Would you be open to finding ways todiscipline her other than hitting?”f Most important: Look for a place to compromise. Ask theparent if they have ideas for next steps. What can the two ofyou agree on? What can you both work on? For example,“We both agree that Erica needs to find other ways to show heranger besides hitting. One strategy that seems to work here is tohave her stomp her feet as hard as she can to get her mad out.Are you comfortable with that? I also tell her that if she needs abreak, she can curl up on the couch with her teddy bear. Are thesestrategies you think you might want to try at home?” (If not, askthe parent(s) what they would be comfortable with.)Finally, don’t forget to check in.A relationship is a living thing that grows and changes overtime. It’s important to check in with families to see how thingsare going, how your agreed-upon plan is working, and whereyou might need to make some adjustments. Communication is

Step 2: Look at the interaction from thechild’s point of view.

Use “I” statements.

Most important: Look for a place to compromise.

MisbehaviororMistakenBehavior?Theproblemwiththeterm"misbehavior"isthatitinfluencesteacherstojudgethethechildratherthanfigureouthowtohelpthechildsolvetheproblem.Asaconsequenceteacherstendtolabelchildrenandcausethechildrentolabelthemselves--theselffulfillingprophecy--oftenmakingthechild'sproblemworse.Youngchildrenhaveonlymonthsoftotallifeexperience,andtheyarejustbeginningtolearnthecomplicatedlifeskillsthatmanyadultsstillhavenotlearned.Intheprocessoflearningthesedifficultskills,children--likeallofus--makemistakes.Ateacherwhoseesclassroomconflictsasmistakes,throughwhichachild4

InUsingConflictManagement,theTeacherGuidesChildrenfromHighLevelMediation,toLowLevelMediation,toChild-Negotiation.Conflictmanagement--somecallitconflictresolution--isearningawelldeservedplaceastheacceptedalternativetotraditionalinterventions,suchastimeouts,whenconflictsarise.Inthebook,KeepingthePeace:PracticingCooperationandConflictResolutionwithPreschoolers(NewSocietyPublishers,1989),SusanneWichertpromotestheteachingofnegotiationskillsbymovingchildrenfromahighlevelofadultintervention,toaminimaladultrole,tochildrentakingcharge.Asteachersincreasinglyviewtheeverydayconflictsofearlychildhoodclassroomsaslearningopportunities,moreneedstobemadeofthishelpfullongtermstrategy.Whenintroducingconflictmanagementastheprimarymethodofadultinterventioninaclass,theadultfirstservesasanactivecoach.ThisIcallhighleveladultmediation.Inhighlevelmediationtheadultteachestheproblem

TheTeacherUsesGuidancetoMaintaintheEncouragingClassroom

nUsingConflictManagement,theTeacherGuidesChildrenfromHighLevelMediation,toLowLevelMediation,toChild-Negotiation.