BASIC RULE:

A child is not permitted to behave in a manner that may hurt him/herself or another person, or damage any property. Staff work with children according to individual children’s needs and stages of development. Children’s developmentally appropriate social behavior, self-control, and respect for the rights of others are encouraged.

Staff practices positive behavior management methods. The purpose of behavior management is to help the children learn appropriate behaviors without damaging their self-esteem. Staff give children who have verbal understanding reasons why a certain behavior is not appropriate and offer acceptable alternatives.

APPROVED METHODS OF BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT:

• Discipline shall be fair, reasonable, consistent, and related to the child’s behavior.
• Be generous with positive reinforcement for approved behavior (i.e. praise, a smile, nod of head.)
• Offer an alternative activity when a child is misusing equipment or having difficulty playing with children.
• Ignore behavior if it is not disruptive or destructive.
• Discuss child’s behavior with him/her.
• Isolate child with supervision.
• Discuss child’s behavior with parents and hold conference with parents, child, and teacher to discuss ways behaviors could be changed.
• In emergency situations, staff competent to use restraint methods may use limited physical restraint when:
  • Protecting persons on premise from physical injury.
  • Obtaining possession of a weapon or other dangerous object.
  • Protecting property from damage.
  • Time-outs are used only when a child’s behavior is dangerous to himself/herself or physically endangers another person. Time outs should be no longer in minutes that the number of years old a child is. Time-outs are using infrequently. Staff is required to document any incident involving the use of physical restraint.

FORBIDDEN METHODS OF BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT:

WSU Children’s Center Staff shall prohibit and prevent:

• Corporal punishment by any person on the premises, including biting, jerking, shaking, slapping, hitting, striking, or kicking the child, or other means of inflicting physical pain or causing bodily harm;
• The use of physical restraint methods injurious to the child;
• The use of a mechanical restraint for disciplinary purpose, locked time-out in a room or closet;
• The withholding of food as a punishment. Seconds of any food item are served upon child’s request
• Frightening or threatening
• Humiliating or degrading children in front of other children.

DISCIPLINARY ACTION

Purpose: This policy provides guidance and direction to staff and parents of children concerning the disciplinary procedures for socially unacceptable, disruptive and/or violent behavior of children attending the WSU Children’s Center.

Recurrence of disruptive behavior: The director requires all staff to document evidence of recurring socially unacceptable, disruptive and/or violent behavior. The staff will, using accepted methods of discipline, attempt to change this behavior.

Should this socially unacceptable, disruptive and/or violent behavior continue on a regular basis, the director will discuss this behavior with the parents. As part of this discussion, that parent/guardian will be asked to cooperate in development of a program designed to extinguish such inappropriate disruptive behavior within a reasonable period of time. Once the program is established, the director or full time staff will provide daily information to the parent/guardian concerning the child’s progress.

If the child continues to display socially unacceptable, disruptive and/or violent behavior despite these efforts at remediation, the director will give the parent(s) or guardian(s) a two weeks advance notice of termination of services for the child. Should this occur, the parent(s)/guardian(s) may contact the Child Care Resource & Referral coordinator (509 335 7625) who may assist them in locating childcare.