When reading the NAEYC Code of Ethics, I realized that the responsibility held by an Early Childhood professional goes far beyond an obligation to the children. Because it is in the best interest of the children, a professional must be willing to work with and educate the many people they come into contact with. The following are some of the NAEYC principles that really struck a cord with me:
Ethical Responsibilities to Families
Families* are of primary importance in children’s
development. Because the family and the early childhood
practitioner have a common interest in the child’s
well-being, we acknowledge a primary responsibility to
bring about communication, cooperation, and collaboration
between the home and early childhood program
in ways that enhance the child’s development.
The thing that resonated with me in the section of the NAEYC Code of Ethics on families was the importance of respecting families, the choices they make for their children, and their child rearing practices. I have recently become more attuned to negative comments about families made by my center staff. It is actually more common than not to hear staff talking badly about the families of the children in our care (and sometimes doing it right in front of the children). I have come to understand that each family is different, and chooses to do things in different ways, and for different reasons - and as long as the child isn't in danger, it is not the place of childcare staff to voice their negative opinions. I have started speaking out about the unsoundness of this practice.
Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues
In a caring, cooperative workplace, human dignity is
respected, professional satisfaction is promoted, and
positive relationships are developed and sustained.
Based upon our core values, our primary responsibility
to colleagues is to establish and maintain settings
and relationships that support productive work and
meet professional needs. The same ideals that apply
to children also apply as we interact with adults in
the workplace.
Concerning responsibilities to colleagues, several ideas made an impact on my thinking. The first was, that like families, staff come from different cultural, educational and child-rearing backgrounds. Many staff members will do things differently than me, but that does not mean either of us are wrong. as long as the children are safe, healthy, and happy, it is important to respect and celebrate differences among staff.
The other idea that I found thought-provoking was the idea of working directly with a colleague when I do believe they need to change their practices with children before reporting the issues to the director or owner. In the past, I always felt that I should report things I found to be unhealthy for the children, and then let the director and owner decide whether or not as well as how to deal with it. Now I see that, based on my experience and education, it is better to try to work as a partner with the other staff, and share my concerns and ideas with them.
Ethical Responsibilities to Community
and Society
Early childhood programs operate within the context of
their immediate community made up of families and
other institutions concerned with children’s welfare.
Our responsibilities to the community are to provide
programs that meet the diverse needs of families, to
cooperate with agencies and professions that share the
responsibility for children, to assist families in gaining
access to those agencies and allied professionals, and
to assist in the development of community programs
that are needed but not currently available.
As individuals, we acknowledge our responsibility to
provide the best possible programs of care and education
for children and to conduct ourselves with honesty
and integrity. Because of our specialized expertise in
early childhood development and education and
because the larger society shares responsibility for the
welfare and protection of young children, we acknowledge
a collective obligation to advocate for the best
interests of children within early childhood programs
and in the larger community and to serve as a voice for
young children everywhere.
The ideals and principles in this section are presented
to distinguish between those that pertain to the
work of the individual early childhood educator and
those that more typically are engaged in collectively on
behalf of the best interests of children—with the
understanding that individual early childhood educators
have a shared responsibility for addressing the
ideals and principles that are identified as “collective.”
This section was the most surprising. I never really thought about my responsibility for children as going outside of the center. This section, though, maps out a responsibility to work with other areas of the community to make them work together with the center and with each other to create a child centered culture throughout the town and surrounding areas. As they say "It takes a village to raise a child," and a village that works under the NAECY Code of Ethics would help guarantee the healthy development of it's youngest residents.
All of the above principles have their basis in the best practices for young children. These are the core values upon which the NAEYC Code of Ethics is based:
• Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage
of the human life cycle
• Base our work on knowledge of how children develop
and learn
• Appreciate and support the bond between the child
and family
• Recognize that children are best understood and
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
