Reflection Guide: Practices that harm children
The Reflection Guide: Practices that harm children is an accompanying resource to the Professional Advisory: Practices that harm children, which outlines actions and behaviours by Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) that are not allowed when interacting with children.
The reflection guide will help you to:
- Think critically about scenarios involving practices that do or could potentially harm children;
- Reflect on various factors such as how biases, family expectations, the learning environment, interprofessional collaboration, power imbalances and educator stress and self-regulation influence responses to children’s behaviour;
- Critically reflect on your duty to report concerns about the safety, health or well-being of a child; and
- Consider your own knowledge, experiences, and ideas, alongside the practice guidance and key considerations.
How to use this resource
Before you begin:
- Read and have access to the Professional Advisory: Practices that harm children
- Have other related resources (i.e., workplace policies, Practice Guideline: Supporting Positive Interactions with Children) available when working through this resource.
Take the following steps for each scenario:
- Step 1: Select a scenario from the options below. The scenarios reflect a range of practices, from appropriate and supportive strategies to those that are harmful and may require a duty to report.
- Step 2: Read the scenario and respond to the reflection questions.
- Step 3: Review the key considerations and contemplate this information along with your own ideas and reflections.
The key considerations section is meant to:
- Support your reflections, discussions and decision-making; and
- Provide guidance and additional information by highlighting several key areas of focus as you work through each scenario.
- Important note: The guidance and considerations provided in this section are not meant to be exhaustive. There will be strategies or areas of focus that are not included.
Practice Scenarios
Pause, breathe, reset
Transitioning from outside play to indoor snack time, Alina, an RECE working with toddlers, is challenged with trying to maintain a calm environment.
When personal and professional values conflict
Marcus, an RECE, engages in behaviours towards a four-year-old child that demonstrate gender-based biases.
The weighted blanket
Suman, an RECE in a before- and after-care program, broadly uses an individualized strategy with a dysregulated child that was originally developed for another child.
A parent’s request
In this scenario, the focus is on building partnerships with families and managing expectations. RECEs are expected to engage and work collaboratively to ensure consistency of care between home and ECE settings.
Getting dressed for winter play
In this scenario, we discuss options for how to navigate transitions. The RECE is working alone in a home child care environment, and the children are having difficulty coping with the transition to going outside. The stressors related to transition are also relevant in other early learning settings.
Trauma (mis) informed
In this scenario, we explore how to support children who may have experienced trauma. RECEs are aware of the important nature of acting with care and creating safe, predictable environments. They are mindful of children’s family context and approach children with curiosity, empathy and presence.
Blocks and biases
In this scenario, we explore how biases can influence practice, ultimately affecting an RECE’s decision-making and interactions with children. RECEs have an ethical responsibility to treat every child in their care equitably and with care, respect and dignity.
“Let me teach you a little secret”
This scenario identifies the influence of educator stress and dysregulation on professional judgment, decision-making and interactions with children. Also highlighted is the importance of educator self-awareness, regulation of their own emotions and co-regulating with colleagues when needed, to support positive interactions.
For questions or more information, please contact the Professional Practice department at practice@college-ece.ca.