Children will learn to consider and respect others and their environment around them. Clear and consistent age appropriate limits will be set, and with these limits, each child will gently learn what it is appropriate behavior. Children are encouraged to solve as many of their own problems as possible under the guidance of a staff member. Children are encouraged to use words to handle their differences and shown how to stop others from interfering with their activities. When a teacher must intervene, age appropriate and constructive methods of discipline are used, starting with a verbal intervention, redirecting and removing a child from the situation if necessary. Physical or emotional danger will be grounds for a teacher to intervene immediately. The parents are included in this discipline process so children can see that both parents and teachers reinforce limit setting. Parents are notified verbally or in writing regarding disciplinary action taken by the teacher, to better aid the child in improving their behavior. In the interest of maintaining a safe and happy learning environment, UPNS reserves the right to exclude any child from the program for a specified period of time or to terminate any child’s enrollment if that child is found to be continuously disruptive to our program.”
Behavior Guidance
Staff shall provide each child with guidance that helps the child acquire positive self-concept and self-control. Behavior guidance used by each caregiver will be constructive, positive, and suited to the age of the child at all times.
The following rules and standards apply.
- To prevent unacceptable behavior from occurring the staff will:
- Model appropriate behavior.
- Arrange the classroom environment to enhance the learning of acceptable behaviors
- Use descriptive phrase praise when appropriate occurs, i.e., “Look how high you are building the blocks! Let’s count them.”
- When unacceptable behavior occurs or is about to occur, staff will use:
- redirection—substitute a positive activity for a negative one
- distraction –change the focus of the activity or behavior
- active listening to determine the underlying cause of the behavior
- holding and rocking a child will be done when needed
- Time-out (separation from the group) is used as a last resort, only when less intrusive methods has been tried and or behavior of the child is dangerous to himself and others. In the event a time out is used, a child will be separated from the group for a maximum of 5 minutes.
We must be aware of and comply with all federal and State, and local laws prohibiting corporal or abusive punishment in child care settings. Staff is expressly prohibited from using unproductive or shaming methods of punishment.
Parents and childcare staff will always work together to deal with persistent behavioral issues such as biting, or unusual or dangerous aggression to self or others. If a child appears unusually stressed or anxious, or otherwise motivated to engage in negative behaviors, it is the duty of the child care staff to consult with the parents.
Children who endanger other children
At UPNS one of our primary goals is to provide a safe, nurturing, and pleasant environment for all of the children we serve. We recognize that one of our jobs is to help children learn appropriate ways to handle conflicts. We work on this as conflicts arise, helping children find satisfactory solutions. We also have “Conflict Resolution” and “Empathy Learning” as a part of our curriculum. We understand that many preschoolers may use misguided behavior because they have not yet learned what it is acceptable behavior. However, at times a child’s behavior may endanger others. We want to ensure parents that we will address such behavior immediately following these guidelines:
- A first incident will be reported to the parent.
- A second incident will result in a parent-teacher conference to discuss the behavior and establish a plan of action.
- A third incident will result in the parent being called, and another conference will be set up with the teacher(s) and the director to continue the discussion to understand what might be causing the problem. Referral for outside advice will be suggested. UPNS reserves the right to terminate any child’s enrollment if any further incident occurs, or if we feel that any of following conditions exists:
- The school cannot meet the child’s needs.
- The parents are not able to work with the school to find an acceptable solution.
- The continuing behavior endangers the well being of other children, and/or the child engaging in the behavior.
Termination of Services
Other reasons which may result in the termination of a specific care arrangement include:
- Non-payment for preschool services and/or lack of adherence to our tuition payment policies.
- Lack of cooperation by the parents with the program’s efforts to resolve differences and/or to meet the child’s needs through parent/staff meetings or conferences.
- Abusive behavior and/or verbal threats by parents toward program staff will not be tolerated. This will result in immediate termination.
Disagreement between UPNS and parents
UPNS is committed to high quality education. We hope that UPNS is a pleasant experience for the staff and families. Sometimes, however, conflicts will arise between the staff and a parent. We have found that through open communication, most conflict can be resolved promptly and to everyone’s satisfaction. We encourage open dialogue and respectful sharing of our concerns. The director and/or the president of the board of directors should be informed of any conflict and will assist with a resolution if required.