Introduction to Positive Guidance

The term ‘positive guidance’ is used to reflect current thinking about the most positive and effective ways to help children gain understanding and learn skills that will help them to manage their own behavior. Gartrell (2014) defines “guidance as a way of teaching that empowers children to make decisions that are ethical, intelligent, and socially responsive; the teaching of democratic life skills” and “disciple as [being] derived from the Latin term disciplina meaning teaching, instruction. In this “classical” sense, synonymous with guidance. In its everyday meaning, the use of rewards and punishments to keep children “in line.” As a verb, “to discipline” commonly means to punish in order to bring under the teacher’s control.”

What is Behavior Guidance?

Guiding children’s behavior is an important aspect of educating and caring for children. Positive guidance strategies need to be developed to assist children to learn appropriate ways of behaving. Positive behavior guidance is an integral part of the education and childcare settings. The positive guidance strategies that are planned and delivered to children must contribute to the following outcomes:

• the child will have a strong sense of identity.
• the child will be connected with and contribute to his or her world.
• the child will have a strong sense of wellbeing.
• the child will be a confident and involved learner.
• the child will be an effective communicator.

Educators and childcare providers should always guide children’s behavior through their interactions and communication. The approach to behavior guidance in daily practice impacts on learning outcomes for children. Research indicates that quality learning environments and sensitive, nurturing adults are essential for achieving positive learning outcomes for children.

When educators and childcare providers adopt a positive and active approach to behavior guidance, they reduce challenging behaviors and encourage children to achieve success, develop positive self-esteem and increase competence. A positive, inclusive, and active approach includes considering the reasons for children’s challenging behavior, not just dealing with the behavior itself. Behavior guidance consists of a variety of ways that adults help children learn to guide or ‘self-manage’ their behavior to learn acceptable behavior. It encourages children to reflect on their actions and the impact those actions have on themselves, others, and the environment around them.

This contrasts with the more traditional ’behavior management’ or ‘discipline’ approaches that imply an adult ‘managing’ children’s behavior or using punishment, or inappropriate discipline to control them. Behavior guidance based on positive mutually respectful relationships between adults and children is most likely to influence behavior in constructive ways. The absence of a warm and trusting relationship with an adult will often result in the child resisting direction from that adult. Both the behavior guidance practices, and the educational program need to meet the developmental and individual needs of each child.

Positive Behavior Guidance:

• demonstrates respect for children.
• is based on knowledge of children’s development and learning.
• is based on an understanding and knowledge of each child, including background, culture, community, and family.
• is proactive and positive.
• recognizes the child’s strengths.
• does not use any form of corporal punishment or any discipline that is unreasonable in the circumstances.
• does not involve making judgements about children and families.

What the Law Requires

There are important obligations for approved educators and childcare providers, nominated supervisors, staff members and family day care educators in relation to guiding children’s behavior. The use of corporal punishment should not be used to deter behavior, not only because the child may be physically harmed, but also because it nearly always has detrimental effects on the child’s self-esteem and feelings of security and belonging. In the United States, corporal (or physical) punishment is still permitted in public schools in “17 states as of August 2023, and only three states—Iowa, New Jersey and Maryland—have banned physical discipline in private schools” (Beers, 2023).

The Colorado Child Care Regulations (2023) defines appropriate guidance as:

7.702.64 Guidance

1. 1. Guidance used at the center must be appropriate to the development of the child and is used as an opportunity to teach children social-emotional skills, such as self-regulation, problem-solving, and empathy for others.
   2. Children must not be subjected to physical or emotional harm, humiliation, or threats.
   3. The Director must not use, or permit a staff person or child to use, corporal or other harsh punishment.
   4. Guidance must not be associated with food, rest, or toileting. No child should be punished for toileting accidents. Food must not be denied to or forced upon a child as a disciplinary measure.

The United States Office of Health & Human Services, Office of Early Childhood Development, define Early Childhood Guidance as:

“The beginning years of a child’s life are critical for building the early foundation needed for success later in school and in life. Research (PDF) shows that brain development is most rapid in the first years of life.

In the last few years, the Office of Early Childhood at the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services released policy statements and early childhood initiatives individually or with other departments.

See this list of Guidance documents and their locations on our website for more information.

1. Dear Colleague Letter: the Office of Early Childhood Development (ECD), along with the Office of Child Care (OCC) and Office of Head Start in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released a Dear Colleague letter to urge states, communities, and local programs to take bold action now to invest American Rescue Plan Act funds and other sources of COVID-19 relief funding to address the current Early Care and Education (ECE) workforce shortage. Find the link here: Investing ARP and PDG funds to address the Early Childhood Workforce Shortage  (Released 10/13/2021)
2. Dear Colleague Letter (PDF)  issued jointly by ACF and HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau on May 28, 2020. Letter excerpt: “Across the country, the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted almost every aspect of our daily lives. This is a challenging time for many families and communities. For parents and caregivers with limited resources and supports, the pandemic has exacerbated the uncertainty, stress, and isolation for the most vulnerable children and families living in poverty. The intent of this letter is to encourage family support, maternal and child health, and early childhood programs (including Head Start, home visiting, early intervention, and other early care and learning programs) to promote family strengthening and prevention strategies via virtual, electronic, telephonic, or other safe means during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
3. Health: The purpose of this guidance document is to support States and communities in their efforts to better coordinate, align, and enhance health and early learning systems to promote the healthy development, early learning, and well-being of all children from birth to Kindergarten entry in the United States. (Released 01-05-17)
4. MIECHV & Part C: This guidance document provides recommendations to States, territories, and tribal entities to identify and enhance opportunities for collaboration and coordination between MIECHV and the IDEA Part C Program. (Released 01-05-17)
5. Supporting Young Children Who Are Affected by Alcohol and Substance Exposure (PDF) : The purpose of this U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidance document is to support early childhood programs and tribal communities by providing recommendations that promote the early development of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children, prenatal to age eight, who have been exposed to alcohol or substances during pregnancy, or who are affected by parent or caregiver substance misuse during early childhood. (Released 12-20-16)
6. Data: (PDF)  this report helps States use existing administrative data from early childhood programs to improve services for young children and families. The statement will cover the importance of linking data collected across programs to better understand the needs of the children and families; supporting continuous program improvement, innovation, and research; integrating data to help answer questions related to program access, participation, quality, and child outcomes. It will also cover how data can impact resource allocation decisions; allow for examination of patterns in service use; identify areas for quality improvement and innovation; and improve the coordination of service delivery across systems at both the state and local levels. (Released 12-2016)
7. Homelessness: this guidance document provides research and recommendations to local and State early childhood programs and housing providers on ways to intentionally collaborate to provide safe, stable, and nurturing environments for pregnant women and families with young children who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. (Released 10-31-16)
8. Technology Use: this brief helps families and early childhood educators use technology to promote developmentally appropriate, active, engaging, meaningful and socially interactive learning for young children. (Released 10-21-16)
9. Monitoring: this guidance document sets a new vision for monitoring, encouraging States to align monitoring policies and procedures across funding streams (i.e. CCDF,CACFP and Head Start) where appropriate rather than monitoring exclusively by funding stream. It recommends efficiencies that can be achieved through coordination, collaboration, cross-training, differential monitoring, data sharing, and greater use of technology. It shifts the current focus of monitoring from one of “compliance only” to “continuous quality improvement.” (Released 09-29-16)
10. State Advisory Councils:  this guidance document provides State Advisory Councils (SACs) with guidance on sustaining federal and State investments, and advancing work that supports the coordination of quality, comprehensive systems of early care and education at the State level. (Released 09-21-16)
11. Career Pathways: this guidance document provides States and early childhood programs with research-based recommendations on developing and implementing career pathways to support the professional learning, practice, and compensation of early childhood educators and program directors. This guidance focuses specifically on the needs of teachers and program directors with the goal of their having a sequence of stackable, portable credentials, combined with the supports needed to advance their individual career progression. (Released 07-21-16)
12. Dual Language Learners: this guidance document promotes high-quality supports and services for young children who are Dual Language Learners (DLLs) – children who have a home language other than English and are learning two or more languages at the same time, or learning a second language while continuing to develop their first language. The guidance increases awareness about the benefits of bilingualism and the important role of home language development, reviews the research on the strengths and challenges faced by this population, and provides States, tribes and early childhood programs with effective strategies for promoting DLL’s learning and development. (Released 06-02-16)
13. Family Engagement: this guidance document brings together research on effective family engagement and identifies core principles from HHS’ and ED’s family engagement frameworks. The guidance includes recommendations to States, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools and community-based early childhood programs for implementing effective family engagement practices and highlights resources to assist them in their work. (Released 05-05-16)
14. Inclusion: this guidance document sets a vision for States, local educational agencies, schools, and public and private early childhood programs to strengthen and increase the number of inclusive high-quality early childhood programs nationwide. It also assists them in making inclusive high-quality early childhood programs accessible for all young children with disabilities. (Released 09-14-15)
15. Caring for Our Children Basics:  Health and Safety Foundations for Early Care and Education: this work summarizes Federal guidance on basic, minimum health and safety standards across Head Start, child care, and pre-K programs. (Released 06-25-15)
16. Suspension/Expulsion Prevention: this statement assists States and early childhood programs in preventing, reducing and ultimately eliminating expulsions and suspensions in early learning settings. It raises awareness about exclusionary discipline practices in early childhood settings, discusses issues of racial and gender disparities, and sheds light on negative outcomes for children associated with expulsion and suspension in the early years. (Released 12-10-14)
17. Birth to Five: Watch Me Thrive!:  this initiative has the goal of raising awareness of and encouraging healthy child development; promoting universal developmental and behavioral screening for children; ensuring early identification of developmental delays; and supporting families and early childhood programs through tools, guidance and tips. (Released 03-27-14) ^[1]

As an early childhood educator, you are a mandatory reporter if you suspect a child is being abused or neglected. There are resources to assist you through the process; Colorado Department of Human Services (CO4Kids), and Children’s Hospital Colorado to name a few. If you are ever in doubt of how to process with the process, contact your direct supervisor.

Discipline

The term ‘discipline’ is often associated with punishment and may suggest inappropriate and damaging methods of attempting to control children in order to change their behavior. Discipline does not allow the child the opportunity to understand why their actions are were not appropriate. It only brings attention to what NOT to do rather than providing guidance in the form of offering constructive options of which behaviors would have been acceptable. It is critically important to guide children’s behavior in ways that support them to develop understandings and skills that assist them to manage their emotions and control their behavior by themselves.

Discipline, or punishment, does not contribute to this aim. Using appropriate behavior guidance helps children to regulate their own behavior so that they do not always rely on adults to guide their behavior, although they will still need assistance much of the time. Older children are more able to negotiate their own rules and the consequences of not keeping to them, while younger children need clearer guidelines and boundaries. In recognition of their growing maturity and ability to take responsibility for their own behavior older children may be provided with some privileges and increased freedom.

The approved provider of education and childcare service must ensure that no child being educated and cared for by the service is subjected to any form of corporal punishment or any discipline that is unreasonable in the circumstances.

Unacceptable Practices

The following are some examples of corporal punishment and unreasonable discipline:

• hitting, slapping, pinching
• force feeding
• isolating
• yelling
• humiliating or belittling a child
• physically dragging a child
• depriving a child of food or drink, (saying to a  child ‘if you don’t eat your vegetables, you can’t have dessert”).

Other examples of unacceptable practice include emotional abuse in the form of:

• negative labelling
• criticizing
• discouraging
• blaming or shaming
• making fun of or laughing at
• using sarcastic or cruel humor
• excessive use of negative language, such as, “no”  “stop that!” “don’t…” “you never…” .

Time out

‘Time out’ is defined as removing a child for a period of time to an alternative place and in isolation. Isolating the child not only has the potential to cause fear and/or humiliation, but it also is likely to increase negative behavior at other times. This practice focuses on the exclusion of the child from the group with no support or opportunity for reflection or consideration of other ways of behaving and it does not help children develop positive behavior or feelings of self-worth.

All services are required to operate in a way which ensures that children are safe, that their developmental needs are being met and that they are adequately always supervised. Use of time out in this context is inappropriate and could be considered as unreasonable discipline. In some situations, it may be necessary to take a child to an alternative environment to support the child to calm down or regain self-control. Our aim should be to prompt and support children when children are experiencing frustration, anger, or fear, to remove themselves from these situations and move to a space where they can gain composure and control over their emotions. Options for redirection to another activity and/or to a quiet, safe space may be provided to the child.

The educator must remain with the child, offering reassurance and support so the child can settle down and regain self-control. This strategy can be used as an opportunity for educators to help the child develop self-calming behaviors and gain composure and control. This is viewed as a learning opportunity, not as punishment. However, this approach should only be used as part of a behavior management plan and when there is an immediate danger of the child being hurt or hurting others and when other strategies to guide the child’s behavior have not worked. An educator should always remain with the child. When strong emotions are being displayed, it can be challenging for children to think or talk about what went wrong. When the child has calmed down, educators may then provide support and assist the child to identify what happened and what they may have done differently.

Understanding Children’s Behavior

Mistaken (challenging) Behavior

Children’s behavior, including mistaken (or challenging) behavior, may be an attempt to satisfy a valid need or express a want, or be an indication of their needs or interests not being met. Mistaken behaviors are “errors in judgment and action made in the process of learning life skills. Mistaken behaviors occur at three levels: experimentation, socially influenced, and strong unmet needs” (Gartrell, 2014). Environmental conditions may also influence children’s behavior and with good environmental support, children thrive.

Children who feel valued and who observe and experience respectful and caring relationships between children and adults will learn to behave in respectful and caring ways with other children and adults. Adults who model positive attitudes, behavior, and appropriate use of language help children to learn socially acceptable ways of behaving and interacting with others. Children need support from the adults in their lives to interpret and express their needs in ways that are appropriate to the situation and environment.

When positive guidance practices are based on respect, knowledge of children’s backgrounds and communities, their self-esteem and confidence will improve, and they become more skilled at managing their own behavior. Some behaviors regarded as challenging are simply age-appropriate behavior. For instance, a two-year-old not being able to sit still, or an eight-year-old unable to contain their excitement and wait for their turn. Learning to communicate needs and wants in appropriate ways is one of the many challenges young children face.

Mistaken behavior can manifest itself when it:

• interferes with the rights of others.
• causes harm or risk to the child, other children, adults or living things.
• damages the physical environment, equipment, or materials.
• interferes with the child’s learning and relationships with others.
• includes a child presenting as shy, withdrawn or excessively passive.
• is inappropriate to the child’s age or developmental stage or background.

Role of the Child

It may be appropriate, at times, to involve children in decision making and discussions about their behavior. However, this must be done sensitively with careful forethought. Some examples of inappropriate conversations with young children regarding their behavior include demanding answers to questions such as ‘Why did you do that?’ or insisting that children apologize for their behavior.

Role of the Adult

It is important to discuss challenging behavior with the child’s parent/guardian. Families can provide educators with valuable information and insights about individual children’s strengths, interests and needs and the strategies that will best assist them to participate fully in the program. When educators and families have mutually respectful relationships and communicate openly, they can work together to plan a supportive and appropriate experience for each child.

Families vary in child rearing practices and the ways each family manages challenging behavior. The kinds of behavior they accept may differ from those of the education and care service. This can cause confusion for the child and may not be helpful in assisting the child to change their behavior.

When there are differences in ways of responding to mistaken behavior and there are differences of opinion it is crucial for the parents and services to work together to come to an agreement that is in the best interests of the child.

When the child’s behavior does not fit with what is appropriate for the child’s developmental level, and is frequent or extreme, it is important to try to discover the reasons for the behavior.

Children’s behavior must be understood in the context of one’s own expectations about what is ‘challenging’ whilst considering children’s developmental level. For instance, a child may consistently hit other children. This behavior although undesirable may not be outside of typical development and needs to be guided accordingly.

This requires:

• an understanding of the child in the context of the family, culture, community
• knowledge of the child’s developmental stage
• understanding of the family dynamics
• anything unusual that may be occurring within the  family or influencing the child’s behavior.

This knowledge will assist the service in understanding the child’s behavior and help to develop effective individual strategies for that child. It is important for educators to look critically at the child’s experience within the service to determine the extent to which it may be causing or contributing to the mistaken behavior.

Factors that May Influence Children’s Behavior

Factors within the service:

1. Environment designed to foster children’s learning and development – offer a range of challenges and experiences that reflect the breadth of ages, interests, and capabilities of all children.
2. Educational program contributes to the learning outcomes and is based on the interests, ability, and experiences of each of the children and is sensitive to individual differences.
3. Educator and child relationships – when interactions between educators and children are positive,  respectful, engaging, caring and supportive,  children’s confidence, abilities and self-esteem are enhanced.
4. Consider the children’s environment – for instance, would the child’s behavior be different if they were in another room with a smaller group or a mixed age group or does the child require more targeted intervention.
5. Consistency in care – children need reliable and consistent adults who keep them physically and  emotionally safe and know their individual needs to enable them to develop the skills necessary for self-regulation  such as self-esteem, confidence, and trust.
6. Educators work in partnership with families to ensure that experiences planned for children are meaningful.
7. Consider children’s behavior in the context of their culture, their community, and their family and in relation to their individual stage of physical and intellectual development.
8. Educator to child ratios need to be adequate to meet the particular needs of the children at the service.

External factors:

• family relationships
• changes to family circumstances
• an event that has occurred in the community.
• limited social experiences.
• cultural expectations, experiences, and child rearing practices
• exposure to drugs, alcohol
• the child’s emotional development and temperament
• presence of a disability that may impact on the child’s social and emotional wellbeing.