Spotlight on Ethics: Early Childhood Educators' Responsibilities to Families
Nancy Freeman, Ph.D.
This third edition of Spotlight on Ethics focuses on the ethical dimensions of our relationships with families. Many situations early childhood educators encounter require us to carefully balance our responsibilities to children while working effectively with their families. Managing these relationships can sometimes feel like a delicate balancing act. The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct can help you navigate these relationships successfully.
It is important to begin our discussion of our ethical responsibilities to families by referring to the Code's five Core Values that specifically address the importance of creating positive relationships with each family:
- Appreciate and support the bond between the child and family
- Recognize that children are best understood and supported in the context of family, culture, community, and society
- Respect the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each individual (child, family member, and colleague)
- Respect diversity in children, families, and colleagues
- Recognize that children and adults achieve their full potential in the context of relationships that are based on trust and respect
These Core Values are the foundation for the Code and help us begin our discussion of our ethical responsibilities to families.
As we look closely at this second section of the Code, we see that its nine ideals stress the importance of developing productive relationships that help early childhood educators learn about and respect families' cultures, customs, and language, while they support families in the important work of nurturing their children.
The fifteen principles in this section of the Code describe practices that are required, permitted, or prohibited as we work with families. They create the expectation that we inform families about our program and their children's experiences while in our care, and to maintain confidentiality. They also guide us when we are working with families who are in conflict or when they need our help accessing specialized services or community resources.
What kinds of issues are you likely to encounter in your work with young children and their families? Think about these two scenarios. I suspect you have faced issues like the ones they raise in your work. We will consider how the Code can guide your practice when you face these and other difficult situations:
- Four-year-old Timothy's mother asks you to keep him from napping after lunch. She tells you that when he does, she can't get him to bed until 10pm, and she has to get up at 5am to go to work. She's not getting enough sleep! You've found that he needs his nap to stay in good spirits through the afternoon and to get the most out of his time in your classroom.
- Out on the playground you hear the teacher in the room next to yours telling everyone about the argument she saw Julie's parents having in the parking lot. She said she's heard they are going through a nasty divorce. You don't work with Julie, and neither does anyone else on the playground. No one within earshot needs to know these details. You feel uncomfortable listening and are concerned because this kind of talk occurs at this center frequently.
What should the good early childhood educator do?
The story about Timothy's nap probably describes a situation you have faced – a parent asks you to do something (in this case not let Timothy nap) that you think is not in the child's best interest. You know you are to care for children to the best of your ability. This responsibility is stated in the Code's Principle 1.1 "Above all we shall not harm children ... ", as well as in Ideal 1.4, which is a reminder "to appreciate the vulnerability of children" and Ideal 1.5 "to create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children's ... development ..." But you also need to honor your responsibilities to families. The Code guides these relationships in Ideal 2.4 which reminds you to "... support [families] in their task of nurturing children" and Ideal 2.6 which states early childhood educators are "to acknowledge families' childrearing values and their right to make decisions for their children."
This situation is an ethical dilemma. It requires you to weigh your responsibilities to Timothy and to his mother. You have to do something in response to this request, and it could be that it will require you to make a difficult decision. You might begin to try to resolve this conflict by seeking a mutually agreeable solution. This strategy is sometimes called trying ethical finesse. In this instance you might suggest some different afterschool and bedtime routines such as more active play before dinner to tire Timothy out, and no rough housing or exciting TV shows after dinner. You might also suggest a bedtime snack without caffeine or lots of sugar. While his mother is trying those strategies at home, you could try changes at school. Could he play quietly on his mat instead of sleeping? Could he spend some time in a near-by classroom that doesn't nap after lunch? What if you let him sleep for a while and then quietly wake him up early?
If none of these strategies solve the problem – he's still staying up later than his mother would like, and you find that he needs the entire nap time to have a good afternoon, then you would have to tell his mother gently and respectfully that you can not deprive Timothy of his nap. The sections of the Code mentioned above (Principle 1.1 as well as Ideals 1.4 and 1.5 as well as items that remind caregivers to keep families informed about program policies (Principle 2.2), effectively share professional knowledge with parents (Principle 2.8), and involve families in decisions that involve their children (Principle 2.4) support this decision. Retaining Timothy's nap, at least for the time being, is the most ethically defensible resolution that considers his mother's request, but takes into account Timothy's current need to nap. It would be wise to keep Timothy's mother's request in mind and to try letting him skip nap in a couple months. Your knowledge of child development and your past experience make you realize that he's at an age when he might be ready to give up his nap at least a few days a week, but you need to keep his needs your primary concern if you do change his schedule.
Now consider the second scenario. What should you do about what you're hearing on the playground? Again, the Code can guide your actions, but this time you are facing an ethical responsibility, not a dilemma. Your colleague is gossiping. There is no good reason for casually sharing information about children or families. In this instance the good early childhood educator relies on Principle 2.13, a clear statement of what ethical early childhood educators must (and must not) do to guide his own behavior: "We shall ... respect the family's right to privacy, refraining from ... intrusion into family life." Further, the good early childhood educator has a responsibility to express his concern about this unethical behavior with his gossiping colleague – see Principle 3A.2 "When we have concerns about the professional behavior of a co-worker, we shall first let that person know of our concern in a way that shows respect for personal dignity ..." (We will address responsibilities to colleagues more fully in the next Spotlight on Ethics).
As you continue to think about your relationships with families you will probably remember experiences you have had that have made you wonder what you should do. Your first step should be to identify the issues you are facing and to whom you have ethical responsibilities. Then you need to think about whether you are facing a clear-cut responsibility (something the Code tells you must or must not do) or a dilemma that has more than one good resolution. When you have done that analysis you can turn to the Code for guidance. Remember, it doesn't have all the answers, but it does help you think systematically about your practice, and will help you have confidence that you are honoring your responsibilities to young children and their families.
Best of luck as you continue to learn about the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and learn how to apply it to your work.
Parts of this discussion are adapted from:
Feeney, S., & Freeman, N. K. (1999/2005). Ethics and the Early Childhood Educator: Using the NAEYC Code of Ethics. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
