Guidance and Discipline

Tick Tock hourly child care is committed to creating a positive climate for children. Discipline at Tick Tock is viewed as a teaching opportunity. Therefore, positive techniques, such as conflict resolution and re-direction are employed. The purpose of all discipline at Tick Tock is to help children develop self-control and to become responsible for their own behavior. Accepting responsibility for one’s decisions and actions is essential to self-discipline, the final goal. We are committed to helping children become part of their group by learning to express feelings appropriately, to consider other people’s feelings and to negotiate their own conflicts and differences. The guiding principles of this policy include fairness, honesty, integrity, respect, responsibility, resourcefulness, responsiveness, humanness, perseverance, and excellence.

To assure that this is implemented staff will:

• Communicate limits and consequences that are clear and understandable to the child
• Talk to the child calmly and at his/her eye level
• Communicate firm and positive statements about behavior and utilize redirection to attain a positive situation
• Children who need to be removed from the group to gain control shall not exceed one minute per year of age. No child will be left alone.
• No child will be disciplined for toilet accidents

The following behaviors are prohibited by Staff members of Tick Tock hourly child care:

• Corporal punishment, including hitting, spanking or other measures intended to induce physical pain or fear
• Threatened or actual withdrawal of food, rest or use of the bathroom
• Abusive or profane language
• Any form of public or private humiliation
• Any form of emotional abuse, including shaming, rejecting or isolating a child

Should a pattern of unacceptable behavior develop, we will request a meeting with the parent/guardian to develop strategies for correcting the behavior. After repeated attempts at correcting unacceptable behavior, Tick Tock may determine the child is not benefiting from the program. Under the sole judgment and discretion of Tick Tock, any child who demonstrates behaviors that are detrimental to themselves, fellow students or staff members and is unsuccessful in attempts at redirection, will be discharged from the program.

(*Section 407.270 IL. Dept. of Children and Family Services Licensing Standards for Day Care Centers).