Student Responsibilities
Standards for Successful Program Completion
All students in this program will be expected to successfully:
Communicate with children, both initiating and responding to their communicative intent
Communicate with children, families, and coworkers with respect and clarity
Document a child’s progress
Understand and interpret child assessment documentation and reports
Accurately report information to other team members and families
Adhere to all standards of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct
Develop professional, sensitive, and effective relationships with children, families, and coworkers
Guide and direct children with respect
Prioritize competing demands while maintaining calm during stress
Maintain objectivity and child-centered care, despite personal needs or experiences
Adjust to changing circumstances
Exercise reasonable judgement
Respond appropriately to direction from instructors, mentors, and supervisors
LiveScan Background Checks
Santa Monica College requires clear Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ) background checks of all students enrolled in any course requiring observation or practicum fieldwork completed in an early education setting (eg., public and private childcare centers, preschools, elementary schools, family child homes, tutoring services, etc.).
The SMC Police Department will complete a LiveScan fingerprint and background check on all students. Currently, this is a requirement for EDUC 12 and ECE 21, 22, 23, and 28.
Once cleared, and if there is no gap in enrollment, your LiveScan paperwork is sufficient for subsequent coursework at SMC for up to five years.
If you suspect there may be an issue with your background check, you are encouraged to reach out to the department chair, or a counselor, for support. Please do so well in advance of the semester you plan to complete a fieldwork course.
Immunizations
When visiting licensed childcare programs, SMC students are expected to meet the State of California Community Care Licensing Division and California Department of Public Health requirements to be immunized against influenza, pertussis, and measles. This requirement also includes providing evidence of a current tuberculosis clearance. These vaccinations can be provided through SMC Health Services.
Additionally, some childcare locations may also require evidence of a COVID vaccine. SMC no longer provides COVID vaccines, however, they are provided for free by the Los Angeles County Public Health Department at various locations.
Conduct Guidelines While in the Field
Many Education/Early Childhood courses require students to complete observations in the field; this is not limited to practicum courses. It is essential to be aware of certain policies and behaviors when in the field. Your conduct should be professional at all times. In addition, you are expected to adhere to all of the policies shared by the site you are visiting.
Any site has the right to terminate an observation or practicum placement at any time. Further, disciplinary action may be taken if students are reported as disruptive or displaying inappropriate behavior. If a student placement is terminated by the site, an alternative placement will not be arranged during the current semester; the student will need to drop the course and re-enroll in a future semester, if eligible to do so.
All SMC practicum students are expected to:
Follow the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.
Adhere to the rules and regulations of the fieldwork site.
Attend all fieldwork shifts and be ready to work on time. This may mean arriving 5-10 minutes early to account for parking and storing belongings before the shift begins. Students are also expected to remain for their entire shift.
Notify mentor teacher (or others as directed by your professor) in advance of any absence and arrange for a make-up date.
Maintain good personal hygiene and standards of professional appearance consistent with policies of field work site.
Maintain professional interactions with staff and families. Personal discussions and interactions (including babysitting for families) are not considered professional.
Adhere to the cell phone policies of your fieldwork site. Keep your phone on silent during fieldwork hours. If you need to make/receive an urgent call or text, make arrangements with your mentor.
Refrain from eating, drinking, or chewing gum in the classroom unless permitted by fieldwork site.
Refrain from the use and abuse of any substance that may impair the ability to attend to children in a reliable manner. This includes prescription drugs, recreational substances, and herbal/homeopathic medicines.
Refrain from taking photos or videos of the children unless required for an assignment. All assignment photos/videos must be approved by fieldwork site.
Respect confidentiality of children, families and staff. Do not discuss children, families, or staff at a practicum site outside of that setting. Posting photos or information about children, families, and staff of a practicum site on social media is prohibited. (See Confidentiality Agreement in Appendix D)
Student Concerns
If you have a recommendation, concern, or complaint regarding a particular course, it would be most appropriate to discuss the thought with the instructor of the course or mentor teacher (if a practicum site). If you do not know how to reach your instructor, you may contact the department’s administrative assistant for this information at 310.434.8109.
If you are unable to meet with your instructor, or you need additional support, you may contact the department chair to request a meeting. If you do not know how to reach the department chair, you may contact the department’s administrative assistant for this information at 310.434.8109.
If you have met with the department chair and still need additional support, you can schedule an appointment to meet with the campus Ombudsperson to discuss the matter further. The Ombuds Office can be reached at 310.434.3986.
In conjunction with the Dean of Student Life, the Student Ombudsperson acts as a mediator, listening ear and resource for students with problems involving other students, faculty and administrators. Responsibilities also include handling grade disputes and other complex issues.
The Ombudsperson mediates differences and grievances that students have involving other students, instructors, and administrators. She/he investigates and mediates a wide range of problems, including grade appeals and difficulties within the classroom. The Ombudsperson listens to your concerns and may offer suggestions for the successful resolution of your problem.
Disciplinary Action & Removal From the Program
We all have a moral and ethical responsibility to the children and families that we serve to employ professional behavior at all times. Per Academic Regulation 4344 Students Dismissed from a Program as a Result of Unsafe Practice, violation of guidelines from SMC, the Education/Early Childhood Department, or the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct may result in an initiation of the student disciplinary process, as described below.
From AR 4344
The process for determining whether a student meets the program standards specific to a particular program may include up to three levels of intervention: the instructor level, the program or department level, and the college level. The student may seek the ombudsperson's assistance.
I. Faculty Level
A. Instructors are encouraged to use their professional judgment in identifying student behavior and or performance that they consider inappropriate to a specific program.
B. The instructor should meet with the student as early as possible in the semester to discuss their concerns. Such concerns include, but are not limited to the following: issues of safety regarding self, other students, children, families, or fieldwork site staff; lack of sensitivity in classroom or field work situation; poor judgment; or any other concern. The instructor should document the meeting. These notes can be brief but must include the date and time of the meeting and a summary of topics discussed.
C. If the instructor is satisfied with the students' performance for the rest of the semester, nothing more need be done.
D. If the instructor continues to have reservations regarding the student’s behavior and/ or performance (even though the student may have passed the class academically), the instructor should inform either the program leader or the department chairperson.
II. Program or Department Level
A. The dismissal of a student from a program is a departmental concern and should not be viewed as the individual instructor’s responsibility. Each department shall develop program standards to evaluate students objectively. Each department is to develop a readmission review procedure for students dismissed from its program.
B. Each program will have its own set of procedures for informing students of faculty concerns, documenting meetings to discuss these concerns, working out behavioral contracts to assist students in meeting program standards, and any other procedure that faculty considers helpful to the student or to the program.
III. College (Joint Administration/Faculty) Level
A. Any student who wishes to appeal dismissal from a program has 10 working days to file a written request for an appeal with the Dean of Student Affairs. The student will be able to present their case within 10 working days of the filing of the request. The committee hearings shall be closed to the public.
Members of the Committee
a. The Dean of Student Affairs (chair)
b. Two academic deans (not from the involved department)
c. Two faculty at large (selected by Academic Senate)
d. Two students (selected by Associated Students)
B. The student may bring to the hearing council or other representatives. These representatives, however, may not participate directly in the proceedings. The student filing the appeal will bear the burden of proof.
C. Each party shall have the right to present written records, witnesses if appropriate, and any other forms of evidence at the hearing, if approved by the Appeals Committee. Each party will have the right to question evidence and supportive documents.
D. The Committee Chair shall notify in writing the student, faculty member, department chair, and the Superintendent/President of the decision.
E. Within five working days after service of the committees formal recommendation, either party may make a written appeal to the Superintendent/President.
F. The decision of the Superintendent/President shall be final.
Statement of Concern & Plan of Correction
A student is notified that they are “at risk” when they are functioning below the minimally acceptable level of performance in fieldwork courses or if there are behavior or safety related concerns in any Education/Early Childhood course. To help the student return to good standing, they will receive a “Statement of Concern”, identifying areas that need immediate improvement, suggestions for making improvements, and a date by which the areas of concern must be corrected.
A Statement of Concern sample form is located in the Appendix B of this handbook.
Students are encouraged to take an active role in their learning by seeking the available resources to assure their success in the program before they are “at risk”.
When problem behaviors are more serious, frequent, or persistent in a variety of areas, or when the behaviors pose a danger to children, families, field site staff, classmates, or instructional staff, a “Plan of Correction” may be given to the student by the instructor. A sample Plan of Correction is located in the Appendix C of this handbook, and includes information clarifying the serious nature of the circumstances warranting use of this document. The issuance of this document constitutes due process and may initiate a process of course or program dismissal.