I've been a childcare provider for 5 years. Today I feel like I'm at the end of my ropes. I have a discipline policy of one minute per year in time out. 5 years =5 mins. I feel like that's not an effective policy, and im in need of some fresh, different ideas. Of course we know that you can't hit or scream at them. Hoping you gus and gals can share your discipline policy. Thanks!

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I work with under 2's only, but here's mine anyway…

DISCIPLINE: No child is different, they just want someone to love them and a little love goes a long way. Discipline for infants is a matter of safety. There is no such thing as a bad or naughty baby. They do not understand rules or consequences. A safe environment is provided to prevent problems by: Removing and keeping the child away from harmful areas Saying "no" in a calm but firm manner when s/he is in danger Child-proofing areas where infants play, helping older children understand what things need to be kept away from babies and why. Infants in the state of Tennessee are considered children ages 0-15 months...

Tweenies & Toddlers (age 16-30 months) are beginning to understand simple directions, but they are unable to remember things, so rules are repeated frequently. Because they are struggling to understand his/her world, s/he often exhibits acceptable behavior with unacceptable objects; i.e. throwing blocks. Safety procedures used with infants are used with toddlers as well as: Keeping things out of reach Removing him/her from frustrating situations Talking to him/her about his/her feelings and giving him/her words to express those feelings Redirecting attention Focus on "do*s" instead of "don*ts" and outline for them how to handle the situation in a better way.

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Absolutely LOVE this. Time outs are not effective or developmentally appropriate.

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I don't have a "discipline policy", really.

If you could give some specific examples, maybe we could give you some ideas other than time-outs. I personally feel that any one method that's used over and over becomes ineffective.

There are a lot of other possibilities: positive reinforcement, redirection, changing the environment, natural consequences, time away, time out, and the occasional "swat on the hiney" (ok..not dc appropriate...) are all (but one) valid option.

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DISCIPLINE POLICY
At any age, discipline should focus on teaching children how you want them to behave, not punishment. Because children learn differently at different ages, discipline and teaching techniques should take into account the child's developmental level and ability to learn. The best techniques for teaching children how you want them to behave and avoiding frustration are repetition, distraction, and supervision.

Repetition is important because children need a lot of practice to learn new concepts. The concepts involved in following directions, taking turns, and delaying gratification are new and challenging for children and are learned only through constant practice. A child may need to hear a hundred or more times that he cannot do something before he finally remembers what is said, and can use that information to modify his own behavior.

Distraction is especially important for helping children avoid trouble. Once your toddler has been told not to do something, it may sink in better if we leave the room and find something else to do. The important thing is that your child learns that no means no, not that the two of us get into a battle of wills. Your child will eventually learn what is allowed and that she can find other fun things to do.

Supervision involves being alert to your child’s moods and avoiding difficult situations. TheCHILDMINDER tries to avoid confrontations by "child-proofing" your child's environment so that most temptations are out of sight and true safety concerns are kept to a minimum. It's much easier for a child to learn what "no" means if it applies to only a few situations - no hitting, no climbing, no biting, etc. - instead of a long list of no-no's (no touching the VCR, no touching the cat's food, no opening the cupboard doors, no going down the stairs, and so on).

. As a result, we do not allow children to hit or shove other children or verbally abuse them. Also emphasized is that they treat material possessions (theirs or daycares) with respect. There is a difference between playing hard, and using a toy for a purpose for which it was not intended. For example, books are for looking at, not tearing pages out of, and toy brooms are for sweeping, not for bashing the kitchen set with. Occasionally children do not behave in respectful ways. First, children are asked to relate the problem in their own words and a resolution is attempted. Then this type of resolution is skipped and we go straight to removing the child from the situation if the offense involves hitting or otherwise physically abusing another child. If a child continues to abuse a certain toy, that toy may be put in “time out” away from him for a period of several minutes up to the rest of the day. If the whole group of children is engaged in this, the toy will be considered "closed" for a while and the next day we have no problems with it. If a child continues to behave inappropriately, TheCHILDMINDER will talk to you about it.

Rarely do we have a problem, and TheCHILDMINDER has never had a situation arise that could not be handled easily. Generally, issues are resolved with gentle guidance & redirection. Should stronger measures be needed, a “time out” will be given.

Children are not punished for lapses in toilet training or for accidents (spilled milk, for example). In the case of the latter, the child will help clean up if possible, not for punishment, but to help teach them responsibility.

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