Codes of Ethics and Reflections

I have listed some of the Codes of Ethics that are meaningful to me.

The first is from the Division for Early Childhood website.

Enhancement of Children’s and Families’ Quality of Lives:  We shall demonstrate our respect and concern for children, families, colleagues, and others with whom we work, honoring their beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture.

This code speaks specifically to the importance of professionals respecting each other and the families within our programs.  Respect is such an important component these days.  In the military community, there are so many different types of families.  But within our society, we are all diverse individuals.  Within our program, we have teens that are a part of the LGBTQ community, whether they are themselves or their parents are.  Recently, I realized that one of the staff member’s struggles with accepting members of this community and I had to remind that individual that, although he does not agree with their lifestyle, it is his responsibility to still treat those persons with dignity and respect.

The next two come from the NAEYC website:

NAEYC I-1.5 – To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions.

When parents enroll their children in our programs, they expect that their children’s safety will be our top priority.  What they may not expect is that we are giving them so much more.  We are observing them and ensuring that they have meaningful interactions, opportunities to evolve socially and emotionally, develop respect for their peers and adults based on the activities that we plan for them.  Otherwise, the time that children are in our care is just considered unorganized play.  I take this seriously as it is my job to observe that these things are happening and if they are not, provide staff with the tools to make these things happen.

NAEYC I-1.11 – We shall be familiar with the risk factors for and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, including physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse and physical, emotional, educational, and medical neglect.  We shall know and follow state laws and community procedures that protect children against abuse and neglect.

This is a huge factor in my daily job.  Before employees begin any interactions with children, they are required to complete 12 hours of training regarding Child Abuse Identification and Prevention.  Additionally, I monitor on a daily basis make sure staff members have appropriate interactions with the children in our care.  The way our facility is designed, it is set up so that we can see interactions at all times (through use of cameras and open spaces) as well.

Studying the Foundations of Early Childhood over the past few weeks has been really insightful.  I have learned many things and have enjoyed the feedback (receiving and giving) from my peers.  As this is my first class, I look forward to continuing my journey through the education field and cannot wait to see what the remainder of this program holds for me.