Embedded Files
Child Guidance Commitment
GHC 0-5 HS is committed to enhancing the potential, self-esteem, and dignity of children and their families and supporting the children in developing self-discipline skills. We desire to provide many opportunities for each child to learn and participate in a safe, secure, and well-managed classroom. GHC HS supports ongoing teacher training, positive reinforcement of children, graduated discipline practices, and special intervention plans to create successful educational and behavioral experiences for children. We aim to provide inclusive classroom environments where all children are viewed equitably. Corporal punishment, using food as a reward or punishment, withholding access to the bathroom or denying basic needs, isolation, name-calling, or any other form of degrading treatment is strictly forbidden. Use of these or any other methods that would fail to promote positive social skills, foster mutual respect, strengthen self-esteem, or support a safe environment will result in disciplinary action.
Teachers will employ the following positive behavioral strategies:
Building a positive relationship with each child
Using preventative classroom practices (such as redirection, offering choices, ignoring, etc.)
Teaching social skills and emotional literacy
Individualizing behavior interventions
Teaching children replacement skills
Participating in/with specialized services for children with severe, persistent behavior challenges, including dangerous behavior with potential injury to themselves or others. When a child's behavior presents the potential of injury to self, other children, and staff, the Education Team (including the Mental Health Clinician ) will determine the degree of risk and the degree of support that can be provided in the classroom to prevent injury. Behavior concerns will be shared with the parent and guardian of the child to discuss a plan. They will work together to prevent the behavior(s) in the future so that the child may successfully participate in the program. A referral may be made for a complete psychological evaluation and the correct placement of services.
Active Supervision and Required Action
Active Supervision Engagement
Active Supervision Body Placement
Active Supervision Counting
Active Supervision Touch
Active Supervision Daily Transition & Child Tracker
Daily Transition Chart BLANK.pdf Center-Based
Center-Based
0-5 30 Minutes Ratio & Child Tracker
0-5 30 Minutes Ratio & Child Tracker
Supervision of Young Children
All teaching staff and other relevant program staff provide sufficient, active, and appropriate indoor and outdoor supervision to protect children’s safety.
Staff should maintain visual supervision of children at all times and maintain appropriate teacher/child ratios during all activities. No child will be left alone or unsupervised. Two staff members shall be present with each group of children at all times.
Staff that leaves the classroom/playground for any reason must notify other staff in the room/playground to ensure proper coverage and supervision.
Staff should know the exact count of children at all times. Hard copy attendance is taken as children arrive/depart. Staff must take attendance sheets and transition forms outside during playground and gross motor times.
Staff should be aware of the whole group when working with one child or a small group. Staff visually scan classrooms, playgroups, and play areas, and are aware of potential trouble spots and communicate with the coteachers the number of children in the classroom. Staff must position themselves to see as many children as possible, positioning and repositioning themselves as they move throughout the environment.
Staff should set up classroom environments so that visual supervision of play areas is not complex; for example, eliminate “blind spots” or running paths.
Staff Should supervise infants and toddlers by sight and sound at all times. The sides of cribs are checked to ensure that they are up and locked. All staff is aware of and positioned so they can hear and see any sleeping children, primarily when they are engaged with awake children. Sleeping infants are checked on, and their status is recorded on child’s sleep chart (see SIDs policy).
Staff should adjust supervision to meet differing requirements of activities, ages, and abilities.
Staff should remove/report broken toys or other dangers immediately. Designated staff inspects outdoor premises prior to each use by children. Staff take appropriate safety actions for outdoor equipment, such as frost or dew on the equipment that might cause slipping or hot slides or surfaces that could cause burns. Ensure that drinking water is available.
Staff should position themselves in “playground zones”. Visual supervision must be maintained, including secluded play areas, tunnels, playhouse, and areas of high traffic and high mobility areas. Staff avoids standing or sitting together in a group to socialize with each other.
Staff should ensure that children are appropriately dressed (including shoes) for warm or cold weather conditions. Staff checks children often for signs of danger, such as overheating or very cold hands. Classrooms maintain a supply of extra clothing in the classroom and ensure that children’s jackets are zipped/closed, and hats/gloves/mittens are on children as dictated by the weather.
Use of personal cell phones or other devices (for making or receiving calls or text messaging) during supervision responsibilities indoors and outdoors is prohibited.
Teacher- Child & Engagement
Teacher - Child & Play
Teacher- Child & Touch
Teacher -Child & Learning
Staff and Child Interactions
All interactions between children and adults will be respectful and supportive of each child’s gender, culture, language, ethnicity and family composition.
Program and Teaching Staff will:
1.Greet each child warmly.
2. Actively listen to children and observe non-verbal communication.
3. Physically place themselves at the children’s eye level while interacting.
4. Promote identification and labeling of emotions in self and others.
5. Encourage children to talk about their feelings.
6. Use language and materials free from ethnic and gender bias.
7. Provide instruction to aid in the development of social skills.
8. Stimulate critical thinking skills and cognitive concepts by using open-ended questioning, narration, modeling and other appropriate communication strategies.
9. Use daily experiences as opportunity for talking, listening, and learning language – language priority.
10. Demonstrate respect and caring for children in all interaction, giving reinforcement for children’s efforts.
11. Make every effort to include persons in the classroom who speak the primary language of each child and are knowledgeable about their culture.
12. Create a positive emotional climate such as frequent social conversation, joint laughter, and affection. Express warmth through behaviors such as physical affection, eye contact, tone of voice, and smiles. Staff use a relaxed, natural, pleasant voice.
Relationships and Responsiveness
Head Start and Early Head Start classes provide a safe physical and social environment conducive to learning and reflective of each child's different stages of development. The class environment supports children as they develop emotional security and facilitate social relationships. It is also an environment of acceptance that supports and respects gender, culture, language, ethnicity, and family composition.
Teaching Staff:
1. Develop individual relationships with children by providing care that is responsive, attentive, consistent, comforting, supportive, and culturally sensitive.
2. Provide sensitive transitions to new classrooms or caregivers, providing assurances to children of their safety and spending intentional time to build relationships. The staff helps children separate from their parents or guardians. Children are assigned primary caregivers in EHS. Staffing and scheduling are consistent. To the fullest extent possible, a consistent teaching team remains in the classroom during the school year.
3. Relate in ways that build trusts, such as being dependable and responding promptly to needs, cries, or cues; express warmth through behaviors such as physical affection, eye contact, tone of voice, and smiles.
4. Watch for signs that children are becoming overwhelmed or overstimulated.
5. Ensure children are in a safe environment at all times and that children are supervised at all times.
6. Ensure the setup of the classroom environment is conducive to learning for all children including children with disabilities.
Peer to Peer Facilitated Play
Peer to Peer Child Lead Play
Peer-to-Peer Conflict & Resolution
Peer to Peer Parallel Play
Group / Peer Interactions and Friendship:
Teaching Staff:
1. Create and maintain a setting in which children of differing abilities can progress, with guidance, toward increasing levels of autonomy, responsibility, and empathy.
2. Implement strategies that support positive peer interactions, relationships and friendships so peer interaction is possible much of the day. Non-mobile infants have supervised play near others; toddlers are encouraged to form natural groupings.
3. Support children’s beginning friendships and provide opportunities for children to learn from each other. Staff read books and tell stories about helpfulness and friendship.
4. Plan activities that foster positive social behavior, cooperating, helping, and turn taking.
5. Assist children in resolving conflicts by helping them identify feelings, describe problems, and try alternative solutions.
6. Intercept negative and hurtful peer interactions (Ex. Stop name-calling, fighting, bullying, etc.). Teaching staff are proactive with children who hurt other children.
7. Provide children opportunities to affect what happens in the classroom through participation in decision making about issues concerning classroom behaviors, plans, and activities (e.g., classroom rules, class discussions, etc.).
Acceptance and Respectful Environments
Teaching Staff:
1. Are active in identifying and countering any teaching practices, curriculum approaches, or materials that are degrading with respect to gender, sexual orientation, age, language, ability, race, religion, family structure, background, or culture.
2. Ensure all children are integrated into the group and are able to participate in activities, as appropriate, including children with disabilities.
3. Create a learning environment that respects the culture and lifestyle of every child and their family. The classroom environment provides activities and materials which are not limited to age, gender, race, disabilities, or ethnic and family composition stereotypes.
4. Provide an environment of respect: a. Children are encouraged to talk about their families and home life. b. Families are invited into the classroom to share art, books, stories, interests, music, celebrations of holidays, and clothing from various cultures. c. The environment reflects the cultures of all children in the program in an integrated natural way. d. Staff uses various strategies to sustain and expand the home language while children are in the process of learning English. e. Staff initiate discussions and provide activities to build appreciation for differences and counter biases. f. Materials and equipment include multiracial, nonsexist, non-stereotyping pictures, dolls, books, puzzles, music, and games. Posters and other materials represent a wide variety of family compositions. (ECERS : 10 examples of diversity and dolls representing 3 races accessible)
Toddler Environments
Infant Environments
Preschool environments 4-5 yrs
Preschool Environments 3-4 yrs
Classroom Environments and Staff
Staff shall:
1. All staff, consultants, contractors, and volunteers implement positive strategies to support children’s well-being and prevent and address challenging behavior.
2. Staff, consultants, contractors, and volunteers respect and promote the unique identity of each child and family and not stereotype on any basis, including gender, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or family composition.
3. Ensure no child is left alone or unsupervised by staff, consultants, contractors, or volunteers while under their care.
4. Attend to children in a nurturing and appropriate manner in keeping with the child’s developmental needs. Staff voice tone and volume shall be pleasant and moderate.
5. Develop clear and consistent classroom rules that focus on the desired behavior. Staff shall set limits for the children. Rules must be posted in the classroom and reviewed with children regularly.
6. Use effective guidance and behavior management techniques that focus on a child’s development. Discipline must be age and developmentally-appropriate. Staff shall model appropriate behavior for the children.
7. Examples include: anticipating trouble, giving gentle reminders, distracting to a positive model, offering choices, giving praise and compliments, offering encouragement, clarifying messages, using redirection or substitution, natural and logical consequences, overlooking small annoyances, deliberately ignoring provocations, using appropriate renewal time, or modifying the environment to prevent problems before they occur.
8. Treat the children as people and respect their needs, desires, and feelings.
Cot Distance 15 months-5 yrs
Cot Distance 15 months-5 yrs
Daily Care Report GHC.pdfDaily Infant Care form
Daily Infant Care form
Infants & Toddler
Center-Based Sleep & Napping Routines
Communication will occur between parents and staff on or before the first day of school regarding the child’s current rest time routine.
Staff will use appropriate (and acceptable) suggestions from the parent to assist the children in resting.
The written daily schedule will include a regularly scheduled rest period.
To the extent possible, staff will schedule calming activities before rest time to help prepare children’s bodies for rest.
Staff will maintain a consistent transition to a rest time routine.
Mat placement will be consistent from day to day as much as possible.
Staff will create a calm, quiet environment by dimming lights, closing shades, playing quiet music, and using quiet voices.
Children will have appropriate freedom of movement on their cot.
Children will not be physically restrained on their cot.
When appropriate, children will assist with setting up for rest time.
Children will be allowed to wake up at their own pace to the extent feasible.
Children are not required to sleep. Children who do not sleep after 45 minutes of quiet time must have an alternative quiet activity. The activity may be in the same room where children are sleeping if it is not distracting to sleeping children.
The quiet activities provided will be varied and rotated over time to maintain child interest and engagement.
Children will be supervised during rest time.
When all children are at rest, and the room is arranged so all children are supervised, if the situation permits, there may be one staff member supervising the resting room. As children awaken and become active, additional staff shall be added to return the room to the appropriate staff/child ratio. Sufficient staff to meet the required ratio shall be in the facility and able to be summoned by the caregiver without leaving the resting room.
There shall be a safe, washable rest mat for each child in the center at nap time.
Each mat will be washable and at least one inch thick.
Each child who is resting shall have individual bedding consisting of at least a sheet or blanket.
Children may bring blankets or other soft items (ie., Stuffed animals from home for use during rest time.)
Care of Mats and Linen
Children should not share personal bedding items, and personal bedding will be stored in individually labeled bags in between use.
Mats must be placed at least two feet apart if children are placed head to toe or three feet apart otherwise. They shall be arranged in a manner that allows for a direct, unobstructed passage to each child.
Mats will be disinfected weekly (utilizing Alpha HP) in addition to any time that the mat is soiled with body fluids or after a child’s illness.
Linen used on mats will be washed and changed weekly in addition to any time that the linen is soiled with body fluids or after a child’s illness.
Soiled linen will be stored away from food preparation areas and in a sanitary manner.
Each child will be assigned their own mat, identified by their name.
When a child is ill and requires isolation, the isolation area shall be thoroughly cleaned after each use and all bedding laundered before it is used again. Also refer to our Classroom Sanitation Policy.
Safe Sleep Protocol
Safe Sleep Protocol
Infants
Safe Sleep
Gads Hill Center mandates that all staff be provided with mandatory and relevant training that may inform Safe Sleep SIDS, Baby Syndrome.
Children under two years of age have access to standard cribs or cots as specified by DCFS guidelines. Children over two should have access to cots. All children enrolled in Center Based Program must have access to their own standard crib or standard cot, which is of good design, solid and stable, has a recognized DCFS safety standard, and is in good condition. All rooms with non-mobile children (non-walking) must have an Evacuation Crib Located in the classroom for emergency evacuations.
The Following Standards for Safe Sleep must be maintained:
• Baby always put to sleep on back
• Feet at the foot of cot (Feet to Foot)
• Nap sacks used appropriately
• Babies' clothes are loose and light
• No more than one child per cot
• Bibs bottles or toys removed
• No quilts, pillows or cot bumpers
• Baby’s head never covered
• Visual sleep checks recorded in a Daily Log
• Safety – no cot is directly adjacent to a heater or potentially hazardous material
• Space – At least 1.4m² is allowed per cot, allowing adults unhindered access to each sleeping child
A minimum of 4.2 m² is allowed per baby room, with at least 0.5 m² between the cots.
• Linen may not be shared – separate linen is available for each child, and this is laundered weekly or when soiled
• Linen changes should be documented
• Sofas, beanbags, and buggies are not suitable for children to sleep in
Prohibited Forms of Child Guidance
Corporal punishment as a form of discipline: The use of corporal punishment is strictly prohibited at all centers and applies to all agency staff, consultants, contractors, volunteers, and parents.
Use of isolation to discipline a child: No child shall ever be placed in a locked room, closet, box, or alone in a room separated from staff.
Bind or tie a child to restrict movement or tape a child’s mouth: The use of physical restraints is strictly prohibited and may not be used on children at any time including therapeutic holds, using cribs, beds, and other items that would restrict a child’s movement.
Physical abuse of a child: Prohibited behaviors shall include, but not limited to: handling a child roughly in any way, including shaking, pushing, pulling, shoving, pinching, slapping, biting, kicking, spanking, tossing into the air or into a crib, chair or car seat.
Using or withholding food as a punishment or reward is strictly prohibited.
Use of physical activity or outdoor time as a punishment or reward is strictly prohibited.
Using toilet learning/training methods that punish, demean, or humiliate a child.
Disciplining a child for not sleeping during rest periods. Using rest or cot for discipline.
Delegate discipline to another child.
Discipline a child by assigning chores that require contact with or use of hazardous materials, such as cleaning bathrooms or floors or emptying diaper pails.
Use of any form of verbal abuse, including profane, sarcastic language, threats, or derogatory remarks about the child or the child’s family.
Use of any form of emotional abuse, including public or private humiliation, rejection, terrorizing, extended ignoring, or corrupting a child.
Use of harsh tones with children.
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