11-03 · Child Discipline

On May 22, 2024, the collateral agency conducted an interview with the teacher who, advised that the child was grabbed under the arm and picked up three times while trying to stop him from waking up the three children in the classroom. This has been corrected as the childcare personnel no longer works for the facility. According to the childcare facility handbook: 2.8 Child Discipline A. The childcare facility shall adopt a discipline policy consistent with Section402.305(12), F.S., including standards that prohibit children from being subjected to discipline, which is severe, humiliating, frightening, or associated with food, rest, or toileting. Spanking or any other form of physical punishment is prohibited. B.Th. childcare facility operators, employees, and volunteers must comply with written disciplinary and expulsion policies. C. Verification that the childcare facility has provided the parent or guardian a written copy of the disciplinary and expulsion policies used by the program must be documented on the enrollment form with the signature of the custodial parent or legal guardian. D. Active play, both indoor and outdoor, must not be completely withheld from children who misbehave. For example, a child being left in the front office the entire time the rest of the children go outside to play would be unacceptable. Time-outs may be used during indoor or outdoor play provided an age-appropriate time limit has been established. E. A copy of the current disciplinary and expulsion policies must be available for review by the parents or legal guardian and the licensing authority. Providers must have a comprehensive discipline policy that includes developmentally appropriate social emotional and behavioral health promotion practices, as well as discipline and intervention procedures that provide specific guidance on what childcare personnel should do to prevent and respond to challenging behaviors. Preventive and discipline practices should be used as learning opportunities to guide childrens appropriate behavioral development. F. The following discipline techniques shall be prohibited in the child care facility:1. The use of corporal punishment/including, but not limited to: a) Hitting, spanking, shaking, slapping, twisting, pulling, squeezing, or biting; b) Demanding excessive physical exercise, excessive rest, or strenuous or bizarre postures c.) Compelling a child to eat or have in his/her mouth soap, food, spices, or foreign substances; d) Exposing a child to extremes temperature; e) Rough or harsh handling of children, including but not limited to lifting or jerking by one or both arms; pushing; forcing or restricting movement; lifting or moving by grasping clothing; covering a childs head.2. Isolating a child in an adjacent room, hallway, closet, darkened area, play area, or any other area where the child cannot be seen or supervised.3. Binding, tying or restrict movement, or taping the mouth; 4. Using or withholding food or beverages as a punishment;5. Toilet learning/training methods that punish, demean, or humiliate a child;6. Any form of emotional abuse, including rejecting, terrorizing, extended ignoring, isolating, or corrupting a child;7. Any abuse or maltreatment of a child;8. Abusive, profane, or sarcastic language or verbal abuse, threats, or derogatory remarks in front of the child or about the child or childs family;9. Placing a child in a crib/portable crib for a time-out or for disciplinary reasons. G. All programs that care for infants must have a written policy and procedure to identify and prevent shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma. The policy and procedures must require completion of the safe sleep training by childcare personnel, as outlined in section 4.2.3