Welcome back, friends! Did you get a chance to see our Day in Pre-K blog last week? What a WONDERFUL inside peek at what we do everyday with your kiddos!
Now, are you thinking… “That’s nice YBR, but my kiddo is struggling with staying calm and expressing emotions.” “My child has some sensory issues he’s dealing with, he can’t sit through class.” “My daughter just leaves her class… how many extra staff do you have to help her?” “Ugh… they don’t nap at home! I need them to, but they don’t.”
If you thought or said any of those things aloud, you would be in good company! We have ALL been there. As perfect as our children are, they all have quirks and special circumstances and differences, and that’s also what makes them so perfect! We love that every child is different and is wonderful in their own personalities. Part of the fun of teaching is helping to foster the child’s growth physically, emotionally, and socially.
If you’re wondering how we address the differences, keep reading! In our training programs and orientations for staff, we start with some behavior guidance overviews and introduce Zones of Regulation. This won’t be the last time our new staff sees these terms, but we definitely want them to know about our philosophies before we introduce them to our classrooms.
Our philosophy on behavior guidance revolves SOLELY around positivity of redirection. If you’re a “normal” parent, you probably use redirection in your daily life from having a child move from something you’re not happy with to something safer, more helpful, or just out of the way. In classrooms, we use redirection in an effort to keep our kiddos positively engaged with the lessons and still maintaining safe behaviors. Redirection allows us to avoid traditional time outs and breaks in class. Using a “Space for One” is also a technique we value. “Space for One” similar to a “Calming Corner” allows children to redirect themselves into a space after recognizing their emotions may not be suitable for group play. We also redirect kiddos if they are not playing safely or kindly with their friends but maybe they would be better suited for an activity near or next to the group so they can still feel involved but the teacher can monitor their behavior closer.
One thing we NEVER do is put children in danger. Safety in our school settings is paramount. We want to ensure that all children are cared for in classrooms. In order to help facilitate circumstances when behaviors or emotions come in, we rely on the Zones of Regulations below! The zones are NOT an approach to behavior control or modification but they are a proactive approach to understanding and helping teach self-regulation. Its meant to be adaptable to your own classroom and circumstances. With the Zones, your kiddo can help associate how they are feeling with a color instead of feeling confined to verbalizing their actual feeling. The allowance to have a color and then drill down further with your kiddo on how to determine the actual root of the emotion becomes so much simpler when you have a place to start.
Here’s what this boils down to… our teachers make it look really easy! Day to day may vary bit by bit. Teachers plan their day around lessons, curriculum, hands on activities, physical activity, and the ever important transition between activities. Just know that you’re child is still perfect. The toughest part of having a child with any sensory, speech, behavior struggles, is feeling as though you have to justify their actions to those around you. At Yellow Brick Road, you do not. We are here to support you in the days that are tough. We can help get the school systems involved to help you.
Traditional childcare has several opportunities for emotional and social development. We prioritize our kiddos and their abilities where they’re at in order to grow and flourish. We are here, as your child’s education facility, to partner with you to ensure your child’s growth. At Yellow Brick Road, we know the pathway can be laid to your child’s future here!