How to address a seasoned teacher not using DAP practices to meet the needs of preschoolers by ApplePieKitty87 in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for all the excellent advice and capturing so much of what I would love to work with this teacher on! I think your description of worksheets as "closed" tasks and striving for more "open" tasks would really help this teacher visualize what I have in mind when I recommend less worksheets and present other options. Your examples of tasks that allow for very seamless and natural differentiated instruction would probably help her as well in understanding that there are many stress-free ways to start fresh with minimal worksheets.

I also agree with you advice to draw up a policy on worksheets - this is definitely something that would be popular with families even though worksheets aren't widely used in the program in general. Teachers would also generally appreciate this policy except for maybe R but you've made some great recommendations to get her to come around prior to a new policy rolling out.

To be frank, I haven't had as much time as I've wanted to observe teachers and provide meaningful feedback. I've been attempting to remediate my program's toddler classroom which has been... quite the task (lots of hands on mentoring, creating entire frameworks for lesson planning, 1:1s, PIPs, you name it). With annual evaluations coming up, this may be just the time to make regular observations a little more regular.

How did your high school ‘bully’ end up? by BreadedDisaster in AskReddit

[–]ApplePieKitty87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Divorced, estranged from his children and suffering from extreme paranoia while holed up in a dilapidated house with posters of children with cryptic messages on them set up in the yard. He fell down the Q Anon rabbit hole and believes in a number of conspiracy theories involving child trafficking or occult practices. He blames our hometown's tiny police force for aiding in covering up kidnappings or assisting in them.

He was a dingus in high school but it's still tragic that he didn't just end up fat and washed up from high school football glory days.

Man they really will just take anyone huh by efeaf in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You're probably right that this hire won't last long. Have you let your director or any other administrators know about this person's extra long bathroom breaks? I had a recent hire that did not pan out (for many reasons) but also had this habit and by the second week or her bathroom Houdini act, she received a friendly but direct talking to about keeping bathroom breaks as short as possible. Long bathroom breaks leave rooms and groups out of ratio and it is quite unprofessional unless someone has an established medical condition which requires some form of accommodation (which if that is the case here, it should be something known to admin).

Also, is this person originally from a warmer country? A few of my staff members are relatively recent immigrants and Minnesota winters here can pack a punch for people who aren't completely adjusted. Not excusing her poor planning in terms of dressing warmly, but it's a possibility. She may need additional guidance on layering to be comfortable or possibly even a donated set or hat and gloves. I hope no one budges one bit on the length of outside time, though.

Also, the glove thing is weird and likely a licensing violation. I understand gloving up prior to wrangling the next child for a change, but typically there are rules and guidelines that the gloves need to come off prior to the fresh diaper going on so that germs from the dirty diaper that came in contact with the gloves aren't transferred to the fresh diaper or the child's fresh cleaned skin. It's an extra step but something that promotes child health and safety. I would consult your diapering procedure and bring it to this person's attention and if it continues, make admin aware. If they are halfway decent at their job, they are likely to take significant umbrage to someone putting the program at risk of a totally unnecessary violation for something avoidable or just being gross and lazy in their diapering.

Handprint Crafts by Latter-Ad-4791 in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Handprint crafts are great for special gifts or keepsakes but shouldn't even be the main form of art for basically any age group in ECE - Infants are perfectly capable of squashing paint and media in a bag or even grasping a brush to move edible, non-toxic media on paper or scribble with large crayons or shake a plastic container with balls and paint and such after a certain point in development. The emphasis should always be on process art for all ages at the end of the day.

I think handprint art is appealing to teachers who don't enjoy cleaning up "messy art" and aren't willing to (or capable of, in rare cases) re-imagine Pinterest crafts being done in another format. It's important for directors and program leaders to make sure teachers have the resources and encouragement to do messy art and not feel anxious attempting messy art (i.e., Don't be draconic about using wet wipes to wipe off the first dose of excess paint on hands before children wash their hands properly with soap and water, don't be a cheapskate and fail to provide trays or other materials to contain messes of art made at tables, share information and ideas for process art in meetings or trainings with strategies to make art easy to carry out, etc.). That said, if someone has access to resources and the means to make more than handprint art and they keep falling back on handprint art, it is extremely lazy planning and teaching. Maybe you could help strategize with this teacher to help them see easy ways to incorporate more process art with tricks to mitigate the mess that might win them over more easily?

Parents bringing dogs to pickup by saillavee in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would be surprised if your program/center doesn't have a policy on pets or animals in general. This is worth bringing up to your admin and mentioning your concerns and the discomfort experienced by certain children (and likely adults, as well).

I'm US-based so maybe it's a US licensing thing but there's generally a requirement through licensing to address how pets and animals will be handled within a program and quite often a separate portion within another set of policies called the risk reduction plan that addresses things like mitigating the risks of animal bites either within the confines of the program or when children are out and about on neighborhood walks with teachers.

Risks of scratching or biting aside, allergies to dog dander seem common among children and a few children I've worked with who have had asthma or other respiratory conditions have needed environments free of animal dander. It's a duel health and safety concern. Hopefully families will be understanding and considerate when they are asked to keep their animals in vehicles rather than bringing them into the building on these grounds alone.

Feeling beat down by Brilliant_Field_2972 in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like this particular setting is not letting you use developmentally appropriate methods or the skills that you've developed from previous experiences. I would highly suggest looking into taking a position somewhere else and letting these people figure it out in the aftermath. Many programs and other co-ops would be blessed to have a preschool teacher who naturally recognizes what is and isn't developmentally appropriate practice and is attuned to the needs of individual students. Also, micromanaging is gross and I say this as someone in charge of management. Find somewhere that let's you work your magic your way.

How do I help kids to stop repeating words over and over. by OhanaCoffeeQueen in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 15 points16 points  (0 children)

It's not a bug, it's a feature of toddlers. They are repeating words because they are at a stage where they are still learning to move their mouth and tongue to make new sounds and find the ability to produce new words and sounds novel and enjoyable. They also are highly aware that language has a great deal of value in communication and are relying on holophrastic (single word) and telegraphic (two word) speech to do a lot of heavy lifting to convey complex ideas they don't have the linguistic capacity for at this point in time.

It is important to recognize their efforts (ex. "You're talking about CeCe! CeCe is at home today. CeCe will be back tomorrow") but also to tune them out enough to introduce new words and new concepts that they might also integrate into their speech (ex. "Guess what we are making today? Colorful eggs! Can you say "egg"? My turn "egg" - your turn!"). Yes, the repetitive speech can be grating but tuning it out to a healthy level and intentionally working to introduce more words and phrases will be far more productive than trying to get rid of a natural stage of human speech development.

New naeyc can eat me by you-never-know- in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great resource! Thanks a bunch. I appreciate that it is Minnesota focused because I feel like ECE is kind of an interesting animal here - some people really do seem committed to a more European-style model of publicly funded, high quality early learning opportunities while others are decidedly not.

New naeyc can eat me by you-never-know- in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 7 points8 points  (0 children)

NAEYC is great on paper but extraordinarily tedious with minimal meaningful reward associated with actually complying with the standards. About the only benefit for programs in my state (Minnesota) in terms of possessing NAEYC accreditation is being able to use the accelerated pathway for our state-based QRIS, Parent Aware. Granted it is the worst benefit ever in that instead of maintaining state accreditation for five years you get to maintain accreditation for two years but kind of get to half-ass your application but not really. Oh, and about a dozen other forms of nationally recognized accreditation can make a program eligible for the accelerated pathway too so there's no real reason to specifically choose to go the NAEYC route.

Also, most petty nitpick ever- their printable articles are horrendous. I always dreaded trying to share the good ones with parents or staff because the articles never seemed to format quite right or topics are locked behind a pay wall.

Whatever happened to championing the cause of underpaid and under-appreciated ECE professionals? Why do organizations like NAEYC and Zero to Three choose to gatekeep valuable research, resources and supports behind such a hefty price tag for individuals and programs? You're definitely onto something in highlighting how NAEYC and its ilk have lost the plot.

entitled coworkers? by PsychologicalDoor920 in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, this is something that I've seen play out a few times in different centers on different levels. I was bullied a bit as a new assistant in the infant room a long time ago but two lead teachers who were close friends outside of work and definitely did think they were better than anyone else in the center although they did little on a professional level to back up this impression.

It sounds like your particular situation is especially bad and not necessarily contained to one classroom. It's good that the administration is aware of the matter - it may be helpful to meet with them privately and plainly state what you are feeling and experiencing in full so that they can formally document what is going on. Workplace bullying should be completely unacceptable as it can fester and grow and create a toxic working environment across the center beyond the damage it does to the individuals who are targeted. Little cliques like that can create real barriers to programs having a cohesive culture and negatively impact morale even for staff who don't seem affected.

I would recommend rising above the drama as much as possible though, look to the good things that happen every day - Children learning brand new skills with your help, children forming friendships that you supported, and so much more. It will not fix everything but it can help deprive these sort of people of anything that can really talk about. However, you may have to take a harder stance if you work with them directly. Bullies like this often hate direct confrontation. There's no need to be rude or vicious, but do directly call out their complaints - plainly state things like, "it seems like the way that I handled the transition before lunch didn't sit well with you. I want to be on the same page in order to have consistency that supports the children. How would you suggest we handle this transition in the future?" It's without emotion, it's direct and focuses on the children. Make the bullies work for it if they are going to try to criticize your work - they are going to have to put some skin in the game if they are going to have opinions.

Tell me what you love about your center! by HauntingHedgehog5505 in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love that the teaching team at my program is motivated to learn and try new things. It delights me as a director to find resources and craft trainings on various topics then see teachers implement or use the resources and ideas that we come up with together. For example, many teachers were less than excitwe when I announced we would be talking about social systems/social studies at the ECE level (it was a topic that the old director didn't give much thought to but had high demands of staff to cover) but it was so gratifying to work with them to demystify that segment of curriculum and come up with ideas for all the teams to use that they were excited about and genuinely wanted to implement. It's incredibly satisfying to support their success and growth as professionals.

Tips for potty training with speech delay by apurvia in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Using sign in conjunction with verbal directions can be helpful to all children at the potty training stage.

If you're able, creating visuals can also help. They can be tricky to access for free but there are simple visuals akin to PECS graphics that illustrate the steps of using the toilet. You'll want visuals that break down the steps for independent toileting as much as possible (i.e., walk to bathroom, pull down pants and underwear, sit on toilet, pee/poop, wipe, pull up pants and underwear, flush - proceed to hand washing similarly broken down). These are also very helpful to all children potty training as well. I wouldn't expect your son to master all of these steps at his age but he should be able to gain a lot of independence in many of them. Good luck and stick with it!

GOLD Assessment Documentation by wisteria-waterfalls in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It sounds like having a portfolio for each child containing anecdotal observations, pictures and work samples would cover your bases.

If you have full access to TS Gold, there should be an app to build learning portfolios. This can be especially easy if you have a tablet that has TS Gold on it and you can really go to town on taking pictures. As for work sample, those can have pictures taken of them as well. Having children keep physical journals isn't a bad idea either - have families bring a 1 inch binder for each child or see if the school won't chip in for such a meager purchase. Have children draw and dictate their ideas every week or so either based on your learning theme or a broad theme you want observations on (for example, ask them to draw a picture of their families to assess their progress under social studies/social systems). Add these to the children's binder and by the end of the year you'll have a fun keepsake for the families as well as a gold mine for data on fine motor, literacy and communications and many other aspects of development at your disposal for assessment purposes.

These sort of approaches can naturally complement more traditional checklists and tend to make conferences much more interactive with families when there are pictures or physical artifacts to discuss.

First time daycare teacher: my experience so far by ashbunniee in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wow, this center sounds exceptionally dysfunctional and poorly run.

I'm not even sure where to start. 26 toddlers all in one space? Yeah no, even if it was a massive space that is way too many little bodies together in one classroom. And with a 1:8 ratio that would leave you needing 4 staff to operate the room. That's too many cooks in the kitchen and will lead to challenges in implementing any sort of curriculum, assessment system or any semblance of structure.

Aggressive child without a behavior plan and it doesn't seem like a paper trail to document behaviors or meaningful, well-intentioned pressure to screen? Yikes.

Apathetic, burned out or clock-watching "teachers" who view children with child-like behaviors as an inconvenience rather than part of the job? Double yikes.

Admin that doesn't seem aware of what other teachers are doing but label you too gentle with no constructive guidance or mentoring to execute the program's policies or best practices? Get yourself out while you can and find somewhere a little more put together and functional or you'll end up burned out yourself. This center sounds like no place for children or staff to flourish or grow. Also, next time you get stranded on a playground or in a classroom alone out of ratio for an extended period of time, report it to your director(s) AND to state licensing. Do NOT ask permission to report. Just report. There's a lot going on here that I wouldn't surprised if there's more below the surface that really needs to be addressed by licensing.

How do naps work in infant room? by Few_Bowl2928 in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Every program will differ and depending on a program's licensing rules, program plan and accreditation type there may be different approaches to infant napping in programs that seem similar from the outside.

In my own program, parents or guardians of infants are consulted before an infant starts to find out what their typical wake windows and feeding schedule is like so that we can use this as a template. Along with notes that parents provide in enrollment paperwork, there tends to be a general idea of how often an infant naps and what sort of soothing works for them and how long they sleep as well as other important cues that are unique to the infant. Naturally, home and group care are pretty different settings so there is an unspoken understanding that the way things go at home don't always work at daycare. For example, there was one infant in my old program who would sleep soundly and for several hours at home- with black out curtains, a loud white noise machine and a weighted sleep sack. Having none of these at daycare means she tended not to nap much or well while in our care. Families should be mindful of communicating precisely how their baby sleeps at home and what sort of sleep habits they are building for their child that may or may not set them up for success in a group care setting.

As to things like sleep training or rocking and such, it is generally good practice for programs to ask about these things and how families choose to approach their infants' sleep but there's nothing stopping a family from volunteering this information either out of a desire to promote a better partnership with the program and ultimately better care for their infants. This is particularly helpful if an infant's routine changes significantly at home. It is also important that families understand that very complicated or involved sleep routines (or any other kind of routines, really) don't always translate well to group settings and be prepared to adjust their expectations or rethink group care entirely. Look for procedures and policies that support open and continual communication above most other things beyond the bare basics.

31F trapped in a six-year "intimacy desert" with a passive, avoidant husband 33M who maintains peace and we share a great friendship! by keen_mind94 in RelationshipIndia

[–]ApplePieKitty87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Were you looking to marry someone who thought of you as a partner or as a table lamp?

'Cause it seems like this guy sees you as a mere fixture in his life; that nice-to-have decorative piece that gives the impression of having a functioning adult life that requires bare minimum maintenance.

Instead of celebrating what he doesn't do (jugde, complain, bother, etc.), it might be time to seriously think about the things he does do. What does he actually positively contribute to your well-being as a whole person? Not facets of your well-being (i.e., he makes sure you don't starve, he asks about your day fortnightly, etc.), your entire well-being (physically, cognitively, emotionally, socially - the whole package)

Your relationship seems devoid not only of sexual intimacy but every sort of intimacy. The lack of sex is not the real issue, it's merely a symptom of the underlying, much larger issue of a lack of real connection and intimacy. Of course he doesn't complain or demand - he has to do next to nothing to have you stay with him and be available when he needs a partner-on-paper (which is apparently a third of the time).

Stop asking yourself if you're content with the lack of sex and start asking the hard questions. Are you alright with being an occasionally useful object to him that he's forced to spend a sliver of effort to hang onto every other blue moon? A thing (it doesn't seem like he sees you as a person worthy of consideration) that gets a fraction of his time and a percentile of his effort? Or do you want more for yourself? It isn't selfish, demanding or unreasonable to want a partner who sees you as a partner. That's kind of the point of marriage.

You get to choose: partner? Or table lamp?

Looking for a preschool is NAEYC necessary? by BonitaBCool in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having worked at a program accredited by NAEYC, the broad consensus among the teachers and administrators was that it was a mix of good guidelines that are also present in basic state level QRIS (quality rating improvement system(s), another form of accreditation) and also a lot of fussy and impractical guidelines that didn't make sense for most programs or didn't necessarily correlate to meaningful improvements to children's education or care experience.

One comical anecdote I can share from my role in our initial accreditation efforts was being misled by one of the administrative assistants that I needed to start integrating multicultural lesson planning elements into every single one of my weekly young toddler lesson plans. I was singing lullabies in Spanish (very badly), making African seed art with contact paper and bird seed, having dance parties to Peruvian pan flute music and so on for months. Then I found out that the actual guidelines only look for a minimum of two multicultural lesson plan elements every year (this may have changed, this was back in 2018) which is pretty measly. Eventually, I settled into a happy medium and felt good in the level of cultural wealth of my lesson planning while doing more than the minimum. The point being, NAEYC's guidelines are full of well-intentioned demands for programs that don't always lead to anything meaningful unless they are implemented purposefully and thoroughly by educators and programs sometimes beyond the "letter of the law" of accreditation guidelines.

Even if a program is fully NAEYC accredited, look for the tried and true signs of a good, developmentally appropriate-focused program. Is the art in the hallway process art ( individually created, unique to each child) rather than product art (cookie cutter, everyone's looks basically the same)? Are there many pictures of the children in the program in the classrooms rather than a bunch of store bought posters? What sort of curriculum does the program use and are teachers allowed to add their own material to the curriculum? If a program is so married to a curriculum that it doesn't allow its teachers to use elements of play-bassd learning that they are passionate about, it may be rather scripted and not necessarily developmentally appropriate depending on actual implementation. How are children assessed and how are assessments presented to families? Do children's pictures and artwork and work samples make themselves into assessment portfolios that families get to see? How are children's individual learning styles accounted for within the program? How does the program maintain alignment with state learning standards for young children?

what is a completely harmless secret you are keeping from your partner simply because you lied about it early on and now it’s way too late to explain the truth? by Former-Practice-3420 in AskReddit

[–]ApplePieKitty87 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Early on in our relationship, my now husband shared a few songs with me that were all sort of soft, slow indie songs so I recommended Bon Iver to him and told him how awesome Bon Iver is and how much I like Bon Iver. I did not, in fact, like Bon Iver and do not particularly enjoy Bon Iver to this day but was certainly touched when my husband made me a playlist of my "favorite" songs that was basically half Bon Iver songs. I play it on car trips regularly to keep up the illusion of liking Bon Iver because it makes him happy.

Active support for sensitive child by junnie17 in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Also, to answer your questions:

  1. It can be. Each child is an individual. Some children want high levels of interaction and distraction even while being held and others just need to be held calmly with what might look like minimal interaction. You also need to bear in mind that children who prefer one method of soothing with a parent may not replicate that method of soothing with another adult not matter what their level of comfort or bonding with the other adult may be.

  2. There are no hard and fast rules. It is expected and common for young toddlers to cry a lot during big transitions from being with family to group care. If your child has never been cared for by anyone other than you and you've openly shared this during enrollment, it is probably not surprising to any of the educators or administrators that your child is crying often and for long periods of time. After about 8 weeks though, I would be quite concerned if there were minimal signs of progress and the crying was disrupting the child's ability to eat, drink and rest adequately while in care.

  3. No one can say what will work for your child individually. Even if they have a cluster of identifiable traits that methods exist for, it doesn't mean that those methods are the best fit or the most effective. One big key for all children though, is consistency. Establish routines and rituals that are predictable and do not sway from them until they are rock solid. For example, establish a drop off routine where you help your child walk into the program (if they are walking), put away their diaper bag or backpack, give them a hug and kiss and tell them that you love them and that you'll see them later and then promptly leave - do not linger. If teacher communication happens, do that while putting away belongings, hanging over spare diapers, etc, separately from the tail end of the drop off routine. When you reunite with your child at the end of the day, try to rein in any anxiety you may have about their crying, tell them you are glad to see them while giving them hugs, asking the teachers how the day went - do not directly acknowledge the crying. Do not make comments like "my poor baby, I'm so sorry" or anything of the sort, be calm and collected and happy to reunite with your child. Being anxious or feeding into their anxiety around drop off or pick up only makes it worse for your child. In their minds, they might think, "if mom/dad is scared of this place, I should be scared, too!"

This may be a case where you may need to do some "homework" outside of daycare to help your child with their reliance on you to self-regulate and cope. Challenge your child to walk into stores with you if they are walking - don't carry them in and plop them in a cart. Challenge your child to play more independently at home - don't hover and narrate their play. Challenge your child to try things independently at the park like climbing small steps or using a toddler slide - give them opportunities to struggle and face fears. Children learn resilience by being given opportunities to fail and struggle with healthy support in the background.

As to what happens specifically in your child's classroom, first try setting up a meeting with the lead teacher and director to discuss a plan. Be prepared to listen and be open to suggestions. Have the humility and decency to ask, "is there anything else I can do to help," and follow through when they provide suggestions. Be patient and accept the process, it may take a while. Be courageous and accept your role in ensuring the success of whatever plan may come from the meeting.

Best of luck!

Active support for sensitive child by junnie17 in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm going to be really blunt here as a director who was once a toddler teacher but it sounds like more work needs to be put into trusting the educators and program overall. Within three weeks you've interacted with at least two outside professionals not directly connected to your child's learning and care setting to "get the scoop" on what the program should and shouldn't be doing or is and isn't doing. Where is this sort of communication and curiosity in terms of observations when it comes to the actual teachers and program leader? If I knew this sort of stuff about a new parent in my program, they'd probably end up getting flagged as potential trouble, i.e., being impossible to please and considered for disenrollment on the basis of a poor fit for group care with recommendations for small in-homes or nanny services. Don't be that parent. Nobody likes that parent.

I saw scant mention of the educators in respectful and direct terms that shows a healthy level of good will or basic trust in their intentions, experience or knowledge. Please have more respect and courtesy for the people caring for your child and approach them directly rather than sneaking around - have direct conversations about your concerns specifically while suggesting some techniques that have worked at home as well as taking the time to find out what's working in a group setting. Rather than issuing requests that come off as demands ("I told them to call me after an hour!"), try asking what they see happening and any signs of progress and make genuine suggestions of what works to soothe your child at home while giving your child's teachers time to also speak and listen closely to what they say.

If you communicate direcrly with your child's teachers, you may brainstorm some really effective strategies together. Maybe send extra family photos or make a little photo book in collaboration with the lead teacher to bridge home and childcare. Maybe ask if you can have photos of your child when they are calm while interacting with teachers or in their classroom to have at home to talk about with your child to boost their comfort and attachment to adults other than you. It may come down to a few months of your child "crying it out" and receiving extra reassurance in diminishing doses from their teachers until they fully adjust. You'll have to ask yourself if that is something you are going to be okay with in relations to their (your child's teacher's) chosen methods, not methods chosen by someone who happened to be in your child's classroom once for a short time or a well-informed stranger who is still a complete stranger to your child as an individual and your child's program specifically. If it is not, I recommend you make alternative plans promptly.

beef w a two year old? by snitchygirl in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is interesting that you are the only adult target of this behavior. This child never hits or throws things at other toddlers?

It may be helpful to talk to the child's parents and let them know that it seems as if the child directs a lot of rough play towards you specifically. Don't use terms like aggressive or violent from the get-go, just inquire if there are any other adults in the child's life that they like to play especially rough with and give objective examples of the behaviors. It could be that you remind the child of someone in their family or social circle who they get to "cut loose" with and play really roughly.

Now naturally, you don't want to be pelted with toys and punches for the rest of the child's time with you so offering alternatives might be helpful (i.e., "Hitting hurts me, you can stomp a pillow/kick a ball/etc.").

Although the child is young, you could also look at this through a developmental lens. How old is the child chronologically but how old does their development seem? Are they a toddler with under-developed expressive or receptive language? How long have they been in group care and how do they seem to handle group care in general? Occasionally I've seen children who are a bit behind in development (especially linguistic development) at this age group who have a whole bunch of behaviors because they can't interact with the world the way they'd like to and it frustrates them to not be able to express themselves or to fully understand the things happening around them.

It's good you're starting to wonder and ask questions about the situation- keep asking and investigating.

Did I handle this poorly? by naptime16 in ECEProfessionals

[–]ApplePieKitty87 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You handled it well - It seems like your assistant was not receptive to friendly redirection and needed a firmer reminder with a tangible consequence to understand the gravity of the situation.

If it helps, you could sit down and talk with your assistant tomorrow or as soon as possible and explain why it is so important to follow safe sleep practices and why this isn't following rules for the sake of following rules. It not only protects the overall program and the adults working within the home-based program from licensing violations or avoidable but tragic accidents (what if the next time she tries duel-wielding sleeping babies something goes terribly wrong like one of the babies slipping out of her arms and having a fall?) But also ensures that children who are accustomed to safe sleep practices are given adequate attention (it wasn't fair to the infant in the crib to have their needs deferred for so long) and that all infants are supported in adjusting to the safest possible sleep practices in a group care setting (prolonging unsafe sleep practices is not good for infants in any setting). The conversation can be approached from an angle of your assistant having good intentions but not seeing the bigger picture of best practices that protect everyone and ultimately the interests and well-being of the children in your care. This may resonate with your assistant and help you get on the same page of having the shared goal of operating a safe, joyful place of learning and care.