Altadena, CA
Altadena Christian Children's Center

Discipline

OVERALL RATING (4.4)

Parents at this school, on average, believe that conflicts between children:
...are handled extraordinarily well in a way that not only gives me confidence in the safety of my child but also reassures me that my child (and his/her peers) are learning the early skills needed to socialize effectively with one another

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Director's Description to School's Approach to Discipline

We believe that discipline is part of the curriculum in our program. It is an integral part of our work to facilitate the healthy social and emotional development of the children in our care. In this context teachers start with a clarity of expectations and a consistency in the implementation of the guidelines so that children can feel secure within these predictable boundaries. These guidelines include learning about Respect for Self, Respect for Others and Respect for our Environment. Our goal is to assist the children toward self-regulation recognizing the developmental time frame for this. When children do test the limits which we expect them to do as they are learning about self and others and their environment, we employ a variety of strategies to guide them. These strategies include redirection to a positive model, natural and logical consequences, discussion with a teacher or friend, time with a teacher to regroup and re-enter play successfully.

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.'


We would first want to be aware of the developmental level (age and stage) and temperament of the children involved in this discussion. Our intervention in this situation would be different depending on some of the above variables. Assuming these are prekindergarten children who developmentally are exploring the whole concept of friendship, we would want to have a conversation with them about their thoughts and feelings. We would want to acknowledge any hurt feelings and assist them in problem solving with the situation. Depending on what they say, we may encourage them to find ways to play together or we may assist them in successfully playing separately for the day.

Parents' Notes on Discipline, Health and Safety

Parent #1
The parent group and board of directors work hard to improve the facilities.

Health

OVERALL RATING (4.7)
Temperature and overall air circulation is comfortable
Healthy and nutritious snacks are provided More >
Toys and furniture are cleaned regularly

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Safety

OVERALL RATING (4.8)
Screen and identify all visitors
Parents may not bring sick children to school where they may infect others

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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.

Get large plastic buckets (or sand buckets if you have lots of really little toys )in a variety of solid colors (red, blue, yellow, green, pink). Ask your child to clean up his/her toys by putting the toys in the bucket corresponding to the color bucket. Great for teaching personal responsibility, color identification, and sorting.

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