AND I MEAN IT!  – IF A CHILD IS BEING HARMED OR THREATENED PHYSICALLY or EMOTIONALLY, SPEAK UP USING THE CHAIN OF COMMAND SET UP BY YOUR PROGRAM.

If it’s not an immediate emergency, give the chain of command system time to work.  (Sometimes administrative actions are taken that you may not see – and frankly do not need to see).  If you feel your concerns are not being met using the chain of command, be firm and respectful in your insistence that action be taken. 

Use concise and clear written documentation that is FACT-BASED, and if you have concerns that your supervisor is not handling this issue, take them one step above this person in the chain.  Do not discuss these concerns with other staffers unless you are unsure of what you may have seen and feel the need for corroboration.

If you feel there is harm being done to any child in a home or any other place, document your concerns, and report them immediately using the chain of command, but keep those concerns in strict confidence until you are questioned about them during any investigative procedure in or outside your program.

If you disagree with coworkers on issues of appropriate methods of teaching or discipline, discuss this with them.  If NO CHILD IS BEING HARMED OR THREATENED PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY, OR EDUCATIONALLY BY AN ALTERNATE METHOD OR DIFFERENCE IN PHILOSOPHY (AS LONG AS THAT PHILOSOPHY DOES NOT DEFY PROGRAM VALUES) AGREE TO DISAGREE AND LET IT GO. 

Two of the areas where lack of confidentiality can become HUGE problems are the gray areas of personal friendships or family relationships among staffers and parents and that of staffers who are also program parents.  If a teacher has a personal or familial relationship with a parent outside of school (on the same bowling team, live next door, are sisters or sisters-in-law) she MUST NOT SHARE confidential work-related information with that person.  If a teacher is also a parent in the program, she MUST NOT SHARE confidential work-related information with other parents.  It is just that simple.

Leave the gossip to TV and social media personalities who get paid for it.  There are many things that can damage a or even ruin a preschool program, including child abuse, the use of inappropriate teaching methods, financial mismanagement, hiring of unqualified staff, and failure to comply with licensing and accreditation standards, but breaching confidentiality is high on the list.

Next Blog: Educational Safety – The Setting 1 – Spaces and Stuff

The other BIG problem for a teaching staff is a lack of regard for the confidential and private issues of information about a child, a group of children, a parent or family, or program staff members.

There is nothing that can do more damage to the level of professionalism of a program than a lack of confidentiality.  Confidentiality means keeping child, parent, and program information private.  Disclosure of private information undermines the relationships between parents and the program; between staff members; and between teachers and children.  It destroys trust and self-esteem, crushes morale, disrupts the sense of community, and is simply unprofessional and wrong. The disclosure of some information is ethically wrong, while some disclosures may even be illegal!

Child information that is ethically wrong to share is a personal opinion about the child that has nothing to do with how his progress, needs, or behaviors affect his learning.  If there is a need for collaboration or assistance from a coworker with a factual observation or if a group of teachers and administrators are working together on class placement or assessment issues, there may be sharing of pertinent and factual information only.

Child information that is illegal!  to disclose without permission from parent or guardian is child health history, custody issues, and residential information.  It may also be illegal to take a child’s photograph without parent or guardian permission.

Family and parental information that is ethically wrong to disclose without express permission from a parent is family crisis status, family relationship information, ethnicity, gender, or sexual preference information, personal relationships with program staff, and any unfounded gossip or rumor concerning a family.

Family and parental information that is illegal! to disclose without express permission from a parent is address, phone number, identification numbers, income, health history, criminal background, child custody and marital or domestic issues.

Staff information that is ethically wrong to disclose is personal/family crisis, family relationship information, work related or job performance issues and salary information.

Staff information that is illegal! to disclose without express permission is residential address or contact information, identification numbers, and criminal background, if any.

Child Information  

• Always protect personal information about any child by getting a signed statement of permission to release from parent or guardian
• Only take photographs of a child with use of a signed statement of permission from parent or guardian and do not post photographs to social media
• Only share information about a child with coworkers when collaborating about a specific need

Parent Information                 

• Always protect personal family information from release to other parent, coworker, or to the public

Coworker                               

• Always protect and maintain the sense of program community by keeping personal, job performance, and salary information confidential
• Never share personal opinion about another teacher’s job performance with anyone but supervisory staff persons 

Keep it to Yourself – Lack of confidentiality is one of the biggest ‘deal breakers’ in the preschool business.  Practice a good work ethic by communicating openly and honestly with other staffers.  Share your strengths and weaknesses with your team teaching partner so you can share classroom duties, but NEVER share payroll information and try not to share negative personal thoughts on job performance issues outside your room, unless you are professionally collaborating about BIG concerns!

Next Blog: Confidentiality 2 – HOW?

 

One issue that causes the greatest difficulty in the management of any business, school, organization, or program is trouble with communication. Nothing can ‘gum up the works’ or cause more problems for a preschool program than poor communication (in any direction) 

Elements of Good Communication – The components of high quality communication are clarity, continuance, and respect.  All messages and communiques must be accurate and easily understood by recipients. Communication must be carried out on a continuing basis, and must be worded with respect and regard for the person reading it or listening to it.

Communication can be carried out by spoken word, phone, email, text, or by documentation on paper.  Often a written document carries more import and emphasis than spoken word, so a combination of documented and spoken word is necessary for the most accuracy and the clearest comprehension.  Some issues require written documentation such as parent and staff orientation material, class calendars of “news” and future events and assignments, program notices of financial, curricular, or procedural concerns, and minutes of meetings.

While Lead Teachers do most of the actual communicating, administrators are responsible for the overall effectiveness of the system.  Clear written staff orientation information and individual job descriptions are a MUST.  Everyone must know exactly what is expected of her and have a clear understanding of the chain of command.  Many problems can come from unclear job descriptions, differences in interpretation of mission, philosophy, and practices, and differences of opinion about ‘who does what?’, ‘where do I go for help?’, and ‘what if I have a problem?’’ types of questions.

Putting It in Writing

Among Staff Persons – Sometimes it makes people nervous to receive a written statement at work. If you are not concerned about your job performance, worry less about documents from administrators. A document makes things more clearly understood and there are times when clarity is a MUST.

With Parents – With the increase and ease of technology, communicating by email and social media is a much easier and more efficient way of seeing that everyone who needs information can get it. Parents need this communication so they can be as involved and informed as possible about procedures, events, needs, and emergencies.  Parents greatly appreciate being informed but also appreciate the volume being kept at a minimum (or they will ignore it).

With Children – It is wonderful for a child to receive a personal note from his teacher that congratulates him for his successes, his attempts, his progress, his behavior, or his attitude. This is a technique that boosts self-esteem, motivates appropriate behavior, and helps a child to connect printed word with meaning. A personal note of a positive nature does more to make a difference in a child’s world than a hundred notes about the “bad things he did at school today”. Make every effort possible to give this gift to each child at least once or twice during the school term. Don’t overuse it as it needs to keep its “specialness” – but know that using it in moderation works wonders.

Teachers spend A LOT of time writing notes to parents, creating lesson plans, making calendars, contributing to newsletters, doing assessments, filling our administrative forms for requesting stuff and using space, and completing accreditation and licensing requirements.  It can feel as if it takes away precious time spent with the children, but it is a necessary evil. 

Learn to be brief and concise in notes to parents and in mandated forms needed for licensing and accreditation. Use short clear sentences that make information easy to understand. Use pre-printed lesson plan and calendars that can be “filled in” with your ideas each week/month, and keep post-it notes and notebooks for jotting down observation facts so assessments are not so tedious later on. 

If you find you spend more time on paperwork than interacting with your children, talk to administrators and co-workers to see how to reduce the paperwork. Never take time from your attention to the children to complete paperwork.

Putting It in Words

Among Fellow Staff Persons – Talk to each other politely and in an informal, but professional way.  If you are speaking to a group of coworkers, and there are language differences among the staff, try to speak the language most in common to all, so there is no confusion and no feeling of exclusion. Likewise, do not assume that because you do not speak the language being used, that you are the object of the conversation. Smile and greet each other as you need to greet the children and parents and if there are philosophical differences, DISCUSS THEM IN PRIVATE AWAY FROM ANY PARENT OR CHILD!  Model manners and warmth at all times.

With Parents – During formal conferences with parents, make sure to stress strengths before tackling need or behavior issues.  Try to limit talking to parents to greeting at arrival and saying goodbye at dismissal times rather than having discussions while you are supervising the children.  Assure a parent with concerns that you’ll get to them at another time or make sure the children are completely supervised by another staff person before giving attention to a parent or any visitor.  NEVER TURN AWAY FROM THE CHILDREN IN THE CLASSROOM OR ON THE PLAYGROUND TO HAVE A CONVERSATION THAT DISTRACTS YOU FROM CAREFUL AND WATCHFUL SUPERVISION.  Let your parents know at Orientation (and remind them often) if you turn from them or choose not to engage with them while you’re with the children, that you are not being rude, but caring for their children.

With Children – Young children are extremely vulnerable when it comes to tone and nature of language.  They often react less to what you are saying than to HOW you are saying it.  Speak to Infants and Babies in a calm pleasant way so a mood of safety and peace is created.  Speak to Toddlers and Twos in a clear and understandable way because they are beginning to hear and understand the message as well as the tone.  Speak to Threes, Fours, and Fives with clarity, but also with a sense of wonder and interest.  The tone must match the message.  Use “big” words but explain them.  There is a difference in nonsense words, which are fun and silly and should be used, and baby talk. Baby talk and speaking in a high-pitched sing-song voice is demeaning and not a good way to model appropriate speaking for a young child.  Enthusiasm and wonder, yes. Baby talk, not so much.

A Final Word on Words:  Except for times when big NOs are necessary for safety reasons, if you have nothing positive, informational, or uplifting to say FIRST, to a child, a parent, or a coworker, it may be best to recall what our mothers taught us, and say nothing at all.

Next Blog:  Confidentiality!!!!!

For children to be successful learners, the environment of learning has to be one of physical, emotional and educational safety. I’ve written about physical and emotional safety at length. Establishing an environment of Educational Safety has to do with the aspects of the Staff, the Setting, and the System of organization of the program.   

Staff – Every program must guarantee that all of the adults in it work with professionalism in terms of continuing education and training; in ability, attitude, and appearance; in appropriate communication; and in holding strict adherence to confidentiality with regard to each child, each family, and the program for whom they are employed. 

Training: Have Some Class! – Regulations on administrative and teacher credentials vary from state to state and within states according to program, but if possible:

• Program Directors should hold Professional, Bachelor, or Master Degrees in Early Childhood Education, Curriculum, or School Administration and I strongly suggest that Directors of preschool programs have classroom experience in order to carefully and appropriately supervise, assess, and support staff.
• Administrators must also provide education and training opportunities and incentives for staff to continue updating professional training.
• Lead Teachers should hold either a Child Development Credential (CDA) or its equivalent in hours and components or a full Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development. 
• Assistant Teachers should have proof of having actual successful work experience in a formal early childhood program and have completed or be in the process of receiving formal professional training if they have none. 
• All persons who will be directly working with children (including those with degrees and those who will be teaching enrichment classes like art, music, drama, or technology) should have proof of a minimum of forty hours of local or state provided training in Early Childhood Education which includes the components of Child Development Theory and Research, Health, Child Abuse, Nutrition, and Developmentally Appropriate Practice                                                                                                                                                               
• Because of the amount of study and research done in the fields of human development, brain growth, learning, and special need, teachers must continually update their professional training in these areas.
• ALL persons working at a preschool program – whether directly or indirectly involved with classroom or enrichment teaching – must have successfully completed training in First Aid and CPR.

Ability, From the Top Down

Directors – Aside from the responsibilities outlined in most formal job descriptions, Directors should have the desire and ability to create a sense of community within the program including the use of clear, open, continuous, and correctly written and spoken communication, by being a fully visible and active participant in program activities, and by building and maintaining morale. They must have the desire and ability to support the staff through provision of sufficient equipment, materials, continuing education, and if possible, financial compensation, and in moral support when issues arise in which teachers need “backup”. They must model professionalism for the staff and mandate it firmly – to the point of dismissal of staff persons with poor performance.

Teachers – All adults working with young children must have a complete understanding of child development, learning, the program curriculum, and all aspects of the program policies and procedures. They must be familiar with each child’s strengths, needs, special needs, interests, and personality. They must be familiar with each child’s family in terms of situations that might affect learning progress or need. They must have the ability and desire to create and maintain a positive Emotional Environment in an assigned community of learners, the ability and desire to be an active, warm, and communicative member of the community of employees and supervisors, loyal to the program and all staff persons from Director to Maintenance Staff. They must have the ability and desire to treat parents and family members with acceptance and the greatest amount of respect, to be physically fit enough to actively participate in all learning experiences with the children, and to dress and speak appropriately for work in a professional setting. Whew!

Teachers Make or Break the Program – The quality of the teaching staff and the reputation of the teachers is the most important factor when it comes to the reaching of the goal of optimal learning for each child; for retaining the quality of the total program; and for the status of a program within a neighborhood or community.

Teacher quality can determine accreditation factors, the awarding of grant monies or funds to a public program, and the opinion of prospective clients to a private, faith-based, or commercial preschool program.

Attitude and Appearance

• Attitude means showing interest and enthusiasm from the first child’s arrival in the morning until the last one goes home in the afternoon or evening.  (And, sorry to have to say it, not standing around with a cup of coffee watching kids play!)
• Attitude means separating your “home stuff” from your “work stuff” and every staffer from the office to the janitor’s closet jumping in to help when needed, when asked, and when you aren’t asked, but see a need.
• Appearance can be a big issue for some programs – tats or no tats; piercings or no piercings; shorts, jeans, dresses, or uniforms; purple hair or no hair; weight! It is up to the administrators and parents to determine what is appropriate and up to the staff to adhere.
• Preschool teachers must be healthy and active.  They must MOVE in the classroom and ON THE PLAYGROUND! As for dress codes, I say clean and comfortable. Clothes don’t make the teacher; attitude does.

Next Blog:  Educational Safety – Staff – Communication & Confidentiality

 

Creativity Counts – Use your imagination, some artistry, and some literacy learning to give your community a name. Use alliteration, rhyme and humor.  Some I’ve seen were Mrs. B.’s Bees, Miss Katie’s Kangaroos, the Big Twos (in comparison to the Little Twos who did not turn three during the program year) Mr. Drake’s Ducks (and they quacked wherever they went in a wonderful line of loud four-year-old ducklings), The Pre-K Palace, (“Where We Act Like Kings and Queens”), and The 3 Amigos, a class of bilingual three-year-olds.  If they are ready, let the children vote or have input on class names and mascots.  Put up signs on the classroom door, and use the name in program newsletters, take-home calendars and memos (“News From the Twos!” or “What’s Buzzin’ with the Bees!” or “A Royal Announcement from the Palace!”).

And a personal note from me – NO APOSTROPHES IN PLURAL NAMES, PLEASE!                  IT’S TWOS, NOT TWO’S!!!!!

Community Work Works – Engaging the community in small whole-class projects to build skills in problem-solving, fitness, and creativity can also develop the spiritual skills of empathy and service to others. These can be planned or spontaneous.  If a child cannot find his pacifier, ask the community to help in the search.  If a ball gets stuck on the roof or in a tree, ask the community for suggestions on how to retrieve it.  If the class is studying oceanography, let the community create a big mural to display outside the classroom.  If the playground needs cleaning, the garden needs weeding, or the baby class needs its crib sheets folded, ask the community to lend a hand. 

Engage the community in big projects.  Whole-program projects done well can build skills in all curriculum areas. A canned goods collection drive in which each class participates allows the children to build skills of Mind (cognition, language-literacy, math, science, and social studies) as the children plan and talk about the event, ‘read’ labels and make signs, count cans, and learn about where the foods come from and how they’re grown, who needs the food and why it’s needed.  It builds skills of Body (health, gross and fine motor) as they lift and stack the cans and learn about nutrition.  It builds Spirit skills (self-awareness, expression, family, and humanity) as they involve their families and learn about the needs of others and how they can help.

Engage the community in developmentally appropriate competitions among other classes in the program.  Healthy competition is NOT a sin in early childhood programs as long as the emphasis is on the WORK, NOT THE REWARD, there are no big prizes and no big time winners and losers. It’s not about who collects the most cans, it’s about the community having a shared goal, practicing empathy, and making an impact on others.

A Final Word on Community – Build a community of learners by making sure that teachers participate in the work and play as equal community members with special responsibility and privilege.  Obviously, teachers must be present during all parts of the day for the purposes of safety, but they must also take an active role in play and work and not be detached from the action at any time.  Instead of doing paperwork, teachers must be involved in Center Time or whatever you call that time when children are free to work/play/explore in the Learning Centers. 

At meal and snack times, teachers must sit with the children and carry on conversations and discussions, rather than acting as waiters.  You must be actively involved on the playground rather than merely watching the children play.  There are no coffee breaks in the preschool day.  There are rarely even bathroom breaks! 

I went to visit a classroom of Threes one time and for the entire four hours, neither teacher in the community carried on a conversation with a single child!!!  They gave instructions, told the children what to do and WHAT NOT TO DO, but there was not a single moment of active listening or personal conversation.  I was appalled, because these teachers were nice ladies who seemed to like kids, but had no clue that their lack of being an active part of the community of learners was a BIG detriment to the efficiency and excellence of the “teaching” they thought they were doing so well. 

Remember that the community of learners should also include the administrative, clerical, maintenance staff and enrichment instructors too!  Some of the greatest learning moments I’ve seen happened when the children celebrated the janitor’s birthday marching to his mop closet with signs and cards to give him hugs!

Teachers of young children need to know the difference between “leading” and “lording”, between supervising and bossing, and between a child-centered and a teacher-centered learning community.  The more often teachers are involved in play, in conversation, and as active listeners, questioners, and resources, the more the children feel the spirit of teamwork and community, and the easier it is to reach the mission of high quality learning.

Next blog:  Educational Safety – Teachers Make the Program!

Each member has a role to play.

Teacher – Team teaching and staff communication are vital. Lead teachers should agree that a “Teacher’s Aide is Not a Maid”, but a partner in all facets of the learning. Teachers must:

• Understand and agree on the definition of the mission and its developmental nature
• Make parents aware of the mission through orientation, education, continuing communication, and involvement                                                                       
• Assure children that their membership in the community is important by encouraging them to participate, by actively listening to them and factually observing them, and by positively noticing their team input                                   
• Use community-building methods and techniques including modeling of cooperative, communicative, and positive attitudes and actions                                                 
• Offer daily experiences in small group and full group work and play                                                                       
• Offer daily experiences in group problem-solving                                                                                                     
• Encourage and give attention to cooperative behaviors while maintaining clear limits on harmful behaviors – We DO NOT Hurt Our Friends!                                                                                                                                                       
• Use “we” language, use meal times as “family style” dine-and-learn opportunities, and be creative in giving your community of learners a name

Parents – It makes the children feel (and learn) better to know that teacher and parents are in agreement and are making a coordinated effort.  Parents must:

• Take an active role in their child’s early education experience                                            
• Visit the community, volunteer time and talents to the community’s work
• Communicate openly and continuously about the progress of the mission
• Read and react to communication from the teacher
• Talk about the mission and its progress at home and encourage child participation
• Assure his/her child that there is a partnership between teacher and parent

Children – Obviously, there is a developmental limit to the process of assuring that the children know their roles in the process, but even older toddlers and twos can take part in teamwork activities like learning projects, clean up and ‘helper’ jobs, and when encouraged, give input on decisions about the work of the community.  Children must:

• Take part in learning experiences to the best of his/her ability                                                                
• Make efforts to developmentally acquire skills in cooperation, empathy, and respect for others in the community and for the purpose of the mission

Next Blog: Community 3 – A “How To”

Emotional Safety is created by making your classroom a Community of Learners.

Community  is a sense of teamwork, kinship, or unity that refers to a cooperative spirit among a group of persons with something in common and in this sense it is a group of people with the common mission of optimal learning who work together cooperatively and positively to accomplish that mission. 

I use the term Community of Learners to refer to the teachers, parents, and children in an assigned class. It‘s up to the teachers to create a sense of community but up to the whole community to maintain it.

Community is important because there is a positive nature to being a respected working member of a team with a common goal and because young children learn more easily within a positive atmosphere.  Community is vital for building skills in all three areas of development – Body, Mind, and Spirit.  A sense of community simply makes the “work” of learning easier for all members involved.

Community, cooperation and peace provide a sense of warmth and comfort while giving each child a sense of individual ownership and group responsibility.  Although infants and babies do not engage in very much cooperative play, they need to be treated as if they are important individuals within the community of learners.  Community is built by encouraging children to learn about and respect their classmates, by offering group experiences and problem-solving projects, by modeling listening and discussion techniques without judgment or derision, and by maintaining firm limits on harmful behaviors.

Creating a community of learners is another way to achieve the mission of optimal learning.  It’s one of those” tricks of the trade” that make things enjoyable while working toward accomplishing that mission. 

Community is built by a total understanding and agreement with the definition of the mission itself. (I think we can all agree that the mission is optimal learning and natural development and growth for each child in the community). Community is built by clear, honest, and ongoing communication on both the methods that will be used to accomplish the mission and on the progress along the way to accomplishment (assessment, behaviors, milestones, and needs.

Next Blog: The Whole Team – Coach, Players, & Fans!

 

 

Boards – Parents must be an integral part of making decisions about procedures and curriculum. If possible, they should be included on governing boards and education committees. Head Start does a good job with this, mandating parent involvement at every level. The more ownership of your program your parents have, the more support they will offer in return.

Problems – There are few things more unfortunate for parents when they receive a “bad” note from their child’s teacher, but it is critical to keep parents informed of accidents, ugly or harmful behaviors (both the hitter and the hittee – but no names, please) illnesses, or administrative things like overdue tuition, fines for continuous late pick-up, etc. As a parent, I have been on the receiving end of these notes (“Mrs. B., your son put his algebra teacher’s chair outside the window on the third floor ledge”; “Mrs. B., your daughter bit one of her classmates on the belly button today”). I’ve also been on the sending side (“Dr. Daddy, your three-year-old told his teacher to “F–k Off” today”; “Mrs. Mommy,  your child has ringworm, head lice, pinworms, etc.”) These are not positive parenting or teaching moments, but facts of life.

Always document and notify parents of issues involving health and safety, but always offer assistance and education about these things.

Progress – Keep your parents informed of their child’s progress and need, with PROGRESS coming first. Let them know when their child reaches a milestone or does something wonderful and also let them know if you see a need that is causing a delay in progress. Have a referral list for parents needing information or diagnosis (NEVER MAKE OR SUGGEST A DIAGNOSIS YOURSELF!) Parents must be involved in assessment and planning for their child’s educational progress and need. At least two parent-teacher conferences should be held each year.

As I’ve Said, Remember the Words of the Great Aretha Franklin – R-E-S-P-E-C-T your parents and families and show that respect at all times – especially in front of their children. Know your neighborhood and the community surrounding your school. Invite community members to visit, be on boards and committees, and make connections with the community by being represented at neighborhood events. If your program is a faith-based one, be present (and help advertise) church, temple, or mosque events and share their calendars with parents. If you are at a private program, share your events with other private education programs (other day care centers or preschools). If your program’s participants need transportation, provide it. If your program does parent training, invite community members and participants in other programs.

Be a unifying force for parents of young children. Working-at-home and working-outside-the-home parents; rich and poor parents; single and married and divorced parents; parents of all faiths, genders, abilities, economic situations – even parents of all political persuasions – have the same needs, questions, concerns, and ideas and solutions.

Next blog: Emotional Safety – Creating a Community of Learners