Pleasanton, CA
Early Years Children's Center

Director's Description to School's Approach to Discipline

We feel first and formost that discipline is not an action by a philosophy. To disciple is to teach. We are teaching the children how to interact with other children and adults in their small community. We hold children to simple laws of society with simple consequences for their actions. For example: If you throw sand, you will have to leave the sand box for a while. Throwing sand is dangerous to our friends as it gets in their eyes and can hurt very badly. Then if the child throws sand, we remove them frm the sandbox for a period of time reinforcing what they did and what we would like them to do the next time. Then when the proper time is up , we ask them if they would like to try it again, reinforcing them not thowing sand, catching them playing the correct way and praising them for a good choice. But when all else fails, and our methods are not being supported by the child, we take away privileges for a longer period of time, age appropriate of coarse, or a consultation with parents over more major issues. Our time outs are for the sole purpose to calm down a child and last as long as the age they are, with verbal feedback on what we would like to see them do. We are also not afraid to make "no" statements. Children dont know how to navigate grey areas, they see black and white initially. So a "no hitting, kicking, biting or spitting at our friends" rule is quite appropriate.

Director's Response to a Sample Discipline Scenario

Description of how teachers handle the following scenario: Child A and Child B are good friends and usually play together. One day, Child A decides to play with Child C and tells Child B, 'I don't want to play with you today. I'm playing with Child C instead.'


Children need to learn that their lives are full of wonderful experiences. Sometimes they are with the same friends and some days they are with new friends. Children need to be able to say no to things they can control and they need to learn their friends have the right to say no too and it is to be respected. It doesn't mean they wont play with you again , just not right now. So now you can go play with another friend and have just as much fun.

Montessori? Waldorf? Play-based?

What school type is right for your child? Is one model better than another? What does the research say?

View an example from the Savvy Source guide to learn more.

Trace around your child's foot, with shoe on, on a piece of white construction paper or card stock. Have child cut out the shoe print and add a spooky face. Glue it to a popsicle stick and you have a ghost stick puppet!

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