Program Statement Implementation Policy

Name of Centre: Kinder Learning Centres
Date Policy and Procedure Established: Oct 1, 2021
Date policy and procedure Updated: June 25, 2024

Purpose of the Policy

Kinder Learning Centre is committed to providing quality care to all children and understands that children come to the centre with varying needs.

The following policy and procedures are designed to make staff/students/volunteers aware of their responsibilities for providing a safe and secure environment for the children and to protect their emotional and physical wellbeing. To ensure that staff/students/volunteers are conducting themselves to adhere to the values of our program statement. To ensure the proper procedures are followed when guiding challenging behaviour and/or de-escalating any volatile situations.

Our Program Statement For Quality Childcare

At Kinder Leaming Centres, each child is respected as a unique individual, we view each child as being competent, capable, curious and rich in potential. We offer high quality designed classrooms to allow the children to reach their full potentials in areas of exploring, learning and growing!

How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years is a professional learning resource guide about learning through relationships for those working with young children and families. It is intended to support pedagogy and curriculum/program development in early year’s programs. Pedagogy is “the understanding of how learning takes place and the philosophy and practices that support that learning”. The pedagogical document, How Does Learning Happen? helps educators focus on these interrelationships in the context of early years environments.

These are 4 important foundations for “How does learning happen?” listed below

  • Belonging

  • Well-being

  • Engagement

  • Expression

These foundations, or ways of being, are a vision for all children’s future potential and a view of what they should experience each and every day. These four foundations apply regardless of age, ability, culture, language, geography, or setting. They are aligned with the Ministry if education kindergarten curriculum. They are conditions that children naturally seek for themselves. They are conditions that children naturally seek for themselves.

The Early Learning for Every Child Today (ELECT) is a Framework for Ontario Early Childhood Settings. This early learning framework sets out six principles to guide practice in early years settings. It also provides a continuum of development for children from birth to age eight. ELECT is recognized as a foundational document in the early years sector. It provides a shared language and common understanding of children’s learning and development for early years professionals as they work together in various early childhood settings.

As childcare educators, we recognize that the most effective way for children to learn is through play. When children are provided with concrete, developmentally appropriate materials and activities, they use their senses to discover and experiment with all aspects of their world. As Registered Early Childhood Educators, our role is to guide, nurture, discipline, facilitate and encourage children as they grow and learn. We ensure that children have opportunities to explore and develop their own interests at their own pace. These practices build children’s self-esteem and self worth.

Everyday is a new learning adventure at Kinder for all of us.

 

It is our expectation that all children will:

  • Follow reasonable requests regarding safety, routines and care of toys

  • Wait at doorways for a teacher when going in and out

  • Walk in hallways and classrooms

  • Wash hands after toileting and before meals

  • Handle toys with care, while still allowing children to explore

  • Cooperate during tidy up times

  • Share toys and equipment belonging to the centre

  • Put toys away when finished

  • Treat every child and teacher with care

  • Never cause physical harm to others or their belongings/creations

  • Respect each others rights

When guiding behaviours, discipline should be:

  • Related to the nature of the challenging behaviour

  • Appropriate to the development level of the child

  • Used in a positive and consistent manner

  • Designed to assist the child to learn appropriate behaviour

  • Implemented as soon as possible after difficult and challenging behaviours

  • Discussed with a parent if a difficult situation arises with a child

To prevent volatile situations or challenging behaviours from occurring, teachers should:

  • Have their classroom environment always set up to avoid conflicts as much as
    possible.

  • Have activities continually available to children and waiting should be minimized. If waiting is necessary, one teacher should be available to sing or play games.

  • Take a positive approach in a volitile situation. Look for the true cause of the difficulty and if in doubt, take a neutral stand.

  • Help the child find an alternate mode of behaviour. Help the child find ways of expressing himself in words. If the child is non verbal encourage the child to use gestures or picture cards.

  • Help the child understand the other child’s point of view while reflecting on thier own feelings.

  • Help the child learn to wait and understand that they can’t always have what they wants.

  • Document behaviours and record documentation in a communication book to be shared between teachers and parents.

  • Arrange parent/teacher meeting to discuss difficult behaviours and management strategies.

Prohibited Behaviour Management
Under no circumstances may a child be

(b) physical restraint of the child, such as confining the child to a high chair, car seat, stroller or other device for the purposes of discipline or in lieu of supervision, unless the physical restraint is for the purpose of preventing a child from hurting themselves or someone else, and is used only as a last resort and only until the risk of injury is no longer imminent; {(0, Reg, 137/15, ss. 48(b))}
(c) locking the exits of the child care centre for the purpose of confining the child, or confining the child in an area or room without adult supervision, unless such confinement occurs during an emergency and is required as part of the licensee’s emergency management policies and procedures; {(0. Reg. 137/15, ss. 48(c))}
(d) use of harsh or degrading measures or threats or use of derogatory language directed at or used in the presence of a child that would humiliate, shame or frighten the child or undermine his or her self-respect, dignity or self-worth;{(0, Reg, 137/15, ss. 48(d))}
(e) depriving the child of basic needs including food, drink, shelter, sleep, toilet use, clothing or bedding; {(0. Reg. 137/15, ss. 48(e))}
(f) inflicting any bodily harm on children including making children eat or drink against their will. {(0. Reg, 137/15, ss. 48(f))}

No form of corporal punishment will be allowed at anytime.

NO hitting
NO spanking
NO grabbing
NO kicking
NO squeezing
NO pushing
NO pulling
NO shaking
NO pinching
NO biting

 

*Any teacher who corporally punishes a child will be dismissed immediately!
*If a child is left unattended, staff will be suspended without pay and if it happens again their position will be terminated.

Procedures & Strategies for Handling the De-Escalation of Volatile Situations
We strive to meet the needs of all children in a safe and supervised setting. We recognize that there may be situations where a child’s behaviour may put them in imminent danger or compromise the safety of other children in the program. In this situation it may be necessary to respond to this crisis using physical guidance to defuse or de-escalate the situation. When physical guidance is used in an emergency, it is necessary to report this situation to CCEYA and complete a serious occurrence within 24 hours.

All staff must follow the procedures when using physical guidance in an emergency situation at the childcare centre:

  • Ensure that the centre’s behaviour management is being followed at all times.

  • Make every attempt to re-direct the child towards positive behaviour and positive outcomes.

  • Provide the child with the necessary support and reassurance.

  • If at all possible, ensure that there is always another staff member present. Remove all other children from the situation whenever possible to a safe and supervised area.

  • After the situation has been resolved, positively reintroduce the child back into the program.

  • If possible, a staff member should remain by the child’s side until the child is settled back into the program.

  • Upon resolution of the situation, both staff members (the staff using physical guidance and the observing staff member) are required to document the events that occurred, and submit the signed documentation to the supervisor.

  • In the event that the child alleges that they have been injured during the physical guidance process, then the centre will follow the procedures set out in their Child Abuse Policy

The staff and Supervisor will meet with the child’s parent(s) to discuss the incident and determine a course of action. This will include devising a communication plan (written documentation and regular meetings to discuss the child’s progress), possibly seek the help of outside agencies, and/or implementing strategies to be utilized should a similar situation occur. All parties will sign the report and agreed upon strategies.

  • If the child continues to experience challenging behaviour and the centre feels that little or no improvement has been made despite all efforts and intervention. the child may be asked to leave the centre. Every effort will be made to help both the parent(s) and the child to find alternate care in an environment more suited to meet the needs of the child.

**Should the parent(s) refuse the request to seek help from a Specialized Consultation Service, this action will be seen as a refusal to cooperate with the childcare centre and will result in termination of the childcare agreement with the centre.

Contravention
Any staff member failing to comply with the above policy and procedures may be subject to immediate dismissal and/or written notice depending on the severity of the situation, as per the discretion of the centre Supervisor.

Should written notice be given, the following steps will be taken:

  1. Discussion with the supervisor to

    1. Identify the difficulty and reasons for it

    2. Discuss the implications with respect to the child

    3. Specify ways of employing positive methods of behaviour management

    4. Commit the results of the above discussion in writing and have both parties sign it

  2. Trial period whereby teacher improves their management methods and supervisor observes

If no improvement is shown over a two-week period and if the teacher does not appear to be trying or clearly disagrees with the centre’s philosophy, then termination of employment will be required. If a teacher feels she has been terminated unfairly, she can appeal the decision to the director within 24 hours after termination notice has been given. Behaviour management will be monitored once per year on all staff, students and volunteers.