BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT

All teachers at illumiNation manage behavior in their classrooms in a gentle, age appropriate manner. All staff receive ongoing training in the areas of discipline and behavior management. They are trained in the process of positive discipline, which instructs children as to what they should do rather than telling them what not to do. For example "We walk inside the building" as opposed to "No running".

Toddlers will begin to learn self-control by observing the natural consequences of their behavior. Teachers will quickly intervene if a problem does occur and redirect the child to a more appropriate activity. Language is utilized to help Toddlers begin to identify their feelings and learn to deal with them in a socially acceptable manner.

Preschoolers will be encouraged to learn problem-solving skills and become self- correcting. They will be given the opportunity to choose alternatives that will enable them to participate in a socially acceptable manner without reinforcing their negative behavior. For example, if a child is having difficulty sitting quietly during a story, he/she will be asked to do a puzzle or draw a picture until they feel they are ready to rejoin the group. Teachers will assist in pointing out logical consequences to both positive and negative behavior.

Staff will use positive enforcement while supervising children, encouraging them to cooperate and continue using appropriate behaviors. Children will be redirected to an alternate activity or asked to sit quietly for a few minutes, if their behavior continues to be inappropriate. An example is when a child is doing something that could hurt others, themselves, or destroying property and choosing not to use problem-solving techniques. Teachers will continue to be an active listener and support the child with conflict resolution. Parents will be notified of the behavior management strategies used and receive an incident report. Individual behavior management plans will be implemented. If a child's behavior is unmanageable within a group setting, parents will be consulted and an individual behavior plan implemented.

No child shall be subject to physical corporal punishment, humiliated, frightened, verbally abused, or denied food, rest or bathroom facilities. Children will never be disciplined for toileting accidents, sleep habits, or food consumption. Any violation of this discipline policy should be reported to the Director immediately. All staff employed by illumiNation are selected with the greatest of care.