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