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Supporting a child or following workplace policies

Andrea is an RECE working in a school board in the Kindergarten Program. While she’s been working in the program for five years, she recently moved to a new school in a different school board. The working environment and culture is different at this school. The interactions among RECEs, teachers, educational assistants, other professionals and the principal seem respectful but there is little communication and collaboration among staff.

One day, a child from Andrea’s kindergarten room came to her with soiled clothing. The child had a toileting accident and was visibly upset. Andrea consoled the child by offering a hug and some understanding words before looking for her teaching partner to let her know she would help the child to change in the washroom.

Andrea’s teaching partner looked at her with surprise and quickly explained she was not allowed to help the child and that it was highly inappropriate. Andrea was taken aback. The child clearly needed help. The teacher said it was a school and board policy and that it was also likely that her union would advise her not to physically assist the child. She explained they would call another school staff person to help if the child could not help themselves or, they could send the child to the office and the parents would be called to come and change their child.

Andrea felt trapped. This was not the policy in her previous school. She didn’t know what to do but didn’t want to get into trouble with her new principal or create further tension with her teaching partner and the other RECEs in the school. She let the teacher handle the situation and retreated back into the classroom.

Later that day, Andrea talked with other RECEs in the school. One reiterated: “We are not allowed to physically help children with personal care routines or with toileting accidents”. “Anyway,” one said, “it’s not professional to do that work. It’s not our job Anymore.” Andrea thought:

Really?! Is that what professionalism means at this school? This doesn’t feel right. My ethical and professional standards don’t seem to align with these policies but what am I supposed to do?

The next morning Andrea found out the child had sat in the office with soiled pants for an hour waiting for her parent to come and help her. The parents approached Andrea that day. They told her how shocked, sad and angry they were that no one helped their child.

Part 1: Reflection Questions

Reflect on the system issues in this scenario. What was the dilemma or ambiguous practice situation?

In this scenario, the school board where Andrea works now does not allow early childhood educators to physically help children change dirty clothes. This is in conflict with Andrea's teaching philosophy; she thinks we provide assistance immediately when the child needs help. Although school colleagues and staff Interactions with the principal appeared to be respectful, there was little prior communication and collaboration among staff. As a result, the child’s parents came to school sad and angry because nobody helped their child.

How did the board policies, views about union advice, school culture, beliefs and practices from other RECEs and professionals impact Andrea and her decision-making?

The school board where Andrea now works does not allow early childhood educators to physically help the child change dirty clothes because they consider it unprofessional. Andrea’s partner has the same belief and follows the school's policies. Since the RECEs, teachers, and other staff have little communication with Andrea, Andrea does not know school’s policies that she is not allowed to help the child to change the dirty clothes. Andrea feels stuck because she does not want to harm her relationship with her colleagues despite their difference in morals and views on professionalism. Eventually, Andrea did not follow her belief and started to follow school’s policies because the board policies, school culture and beliefs impact Andrea’s decision-making.

What role did relationships, communication and collaboration with others play in Andrea’s situation?

Andrea’s situation, relationships, communication and collaboration with others seems to not  play a significant role because the RECEs, teachers, and staff only need to follow the school’s policy and culture. The school requests that staff do not provide physical care to the children and instead leave the child’s family to help because helping children physically is unprofessional. As an RECE Andrea felt forced to follow the rule because the school and her partner asked her to. I did not see any positive influence from the school environment in this scenario. The child’s needs were not provided and the RECE had to go against her morals, resulting in an unpleasant experience.

In what ways did Andrea and the other RECEs in the scenario demonstrate or fail to demonstrate aspects of professionalism? Reflect on how ethical values, knowledge and skills, professional judgement, accountability, and continuous professional learning were upheld or ignored.

Andrea and the other RECE’s failed to demonstrate professionalism by not staying with the child when the child was feeling upset and needed to be comforted, and did not help clean the child  up or stay by their side to clean themself up. The RECE could have stayed with the child until they were picked up by their parent as support, because it must have felt uncomfortable and humiliating for the child to wait for her parent for one hour after the accident had happened. Andrea could have handled the situation differently by explaining to the parent that part of the policy is that we cannot undress and help the child in this situation but we can stay by the child’s side and support them through the situation.

Reflect on Andrea’s thoughts about the policies conflicting with the Code and Standards. What are the standards of practice that address this issue?

It is a difficult situation for Andrea when personal thoughts are against the school policy. If I were Andrea, I might make the same decision as Andrea even though my original thoughts were the same as Andrea's because of both pressures from teaching partner and school’s policy. According to the Code of Ethics and Standards, RECE is responsible for children’s health and value the rights of chlidren and create learning environments where all children can experience a sense of belonging and inclusion. However, child’s right in this scenario is not respected and child did not feel sense of belonging and inclusion in this school, which will have negative influence on child’s learning and development later in this school.

How could Andrea have advocated in the interest of children and families in this scenario?

Andrea could have spoken up and said that she is trained to do what she does, she could have explained that the child could get a rash from having the accident sit in their clothing for a long period of time as the child still has to wait for her parent(s) to pick her up and that it is an uncomfortable situation for the child to be sitting in what she is wearing and not following the health and safety  procedures by allowing the child to sit and wait contaminating the area and spreading fluids that other children should not be exposed to and should be cleaned up immediately and disinfected.

What are some strategies for communication with her teaching partner, principal, colleagues, school board officials or union representatives?

Apply ECE Code of  Ethics and Standards of Practice For RECE in Ontario to communicate with her partner, principal, and other colleagues. According to the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice (2017), Standard 1: Caring and Responsive Relationship, building and maintaining caring and responsive relationships with children is fundamental to the practice’s RECE. Not helping the child to change the soiled clothes immediately is considered break the practices. Standard III: Safey, Health and Well-being in the Learning Environment. It is RECE’s responsibility to take appropriate steps to ensure the environment complies with safety, healthy, and accessibity legislation and avoid exposing children to harmful and unsafe situations. Keeping the child in unhealthy condition for one hour is harmful to the child, which is against with ECE Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Moreover, using positive language to communicate with teaching partner and colleagues, such as: As an ECE, we want to provide good care of children so children can learn better in our school, what happened if we did not help children with them physically and immediately? The parents could complain about what happen to their children and they might tell other children’s parents, which will cause the negative impact on school’s fame.

In what ways could Andrea have taken a leadership role and demonstrated professionalism or encouraged professionalism from other RECEs in her environment?

Explain that she is trained to help

Work with families by asking if you can take the next step

Priority is to do what is right for the child and what makes the child most comfortable

What are the beliefs about professionalism and professional identity shared in this scenario?

Andrea appears to hold children’s emotional and mental well-being as their highest priority while the school board appears to value children’s education as their highest priority. Andrea does not appear to think consensually touching a child’s body is a problem if they are helping the child to feel better. The school appears to believe that supporting children in toiletry or similar needs is the parents’ job and not something they should be touching. It seems the school views touching children’s bodies is unprofessional regardless of the child’s needs. The school also does not appear to value the children’s families’ work as much as Andrea given that they would rather call the parents to pick the child up early over helping the child themselves.

How could the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice been used to support decision-making, actions and interactions with others?

The following points taken from the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice (2017) could have been used to support decision-making:

Standard I: Caring and Responsive Relationships

1. Are attuned and responsive to the holistic needs of children.

2. Engage in supportive and respectful interactions with children to ensure they feel a sense of security and belonging.

3. Ensure that in their relationship with families and colleagues, the needs and best interests of the child are their highest priority. They collaborate with families to access information and resources to make informed decisions about their child. They advocate for children and families in partnership with families and colleagues.

Standard IV: Professionalism and Leadership

4. Model professional values, beliefs and behaviours with children, families and colleagues. They understand that their conduct reflects on them as professionals and on their profession at all times.

5. Advocate in the interest of children, families, early childhood educators and the early years sector.

Standard I accentuates that the needs and interactions between children and parents should always be considered the highest priority. Standard IV highlights the importance of always standing up and advocating for children and their families to create long-term change. If I were in this scenario, I would use these two sections from the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice to remind myself that I must help the child regardless of the business’ ideas of professionalism because, before the school-board, I work for children and their families. I would then do my best to change the culture of the school over my time working there.