Bullying in Daycare, Photo by Clarity
Bullying is an issue in many daycare center and preschool environments. One aspect of daycare jobs includes keeping children safe and behavioral issues in check. In a 3-part interview, Shannon Spence, owner of Tutor Doctor of Denver, describes the problem of bullies in daycare centers and explains how educators and parents can handle the situation.
OwnADaycare: What can child care providers do about bullying?
Shannon Spence: Child care providers need to have their finger on the pulse of the classroom. Anticipating a negative situation before it occurs and redirecting the children can cut the bully off at the pass. Gentle and positive reminders such as, “Thank you Johnny for waiting your turn to use that truck”, help to guide the bully into making a better decision. Classroom rules like, “We keep our friends safe, we keep ourselves safe and we keep our things safe” are easy for little ones to remember and yet open the door to a lot of great discussion and role playing during large group time. Pointing out natural, or logical, consequences and giving children choices can also help.
If a teacher sees that aggressive behavior is escalating the simple act of explaining the consequence may be enough to stop the behavior. A comment from the teacher like: “Thank you Johnny for keeping your hands to yourself. I know that you will make a good choice so that you can continue to play in this center”, lets the child know they have a choice and this is what will happen if they decide to make a bad one. The consequence is much more effective when the child knows that they brought it on themselves. Bullies often times act out for attention so a simple hug or caring gesture can sometimes pull them out of a slump. It’s important to give them positive attention as much as possible. Recognizing their good behavior and praising them for it will help to build their self esteem and reinforce that behavior.
It’s sometimes hard to feel warm and fuzzy about a child who is constantly acting out but try to catch them at a quiet moment and invite them to sit on your lap to read a story. It’s amazing how this simple act can change your feelings toward the child while letting them know that they have a friend in you. Earning their trust can go a long way in also earning their respect so that when a situation occurs they are more likely to respond to you in a positive manner. Socialization is ongoing at the preschool level so providers need to take charge of their classroom, set good examples and constantly remind children of their expectations. By doing this you’re showing the children that bullying is not okay and will not be tolerated.
Using the above mentioned techniques daily in your classroom can help to keep bullying behavior at bay. But as we all know, we don’t have eyes in the back of our heads (even though some children think we do!) so we can’t catch everything. When bullying does occur, discuss the situation with the children involved. Let the bully know that it was not okay to treat another child that way and discuss how they could have handled the situation differently.
Discussion and clarification of classroom rules can be helpful. Giving the bully some “renewal time” puts a “time-out” in more of a positive light and allows them to gather themselves and think about what just happened. Sometimes external factors (such as discipline or lack-there-of in the home environment) can undermine a teacher’s effort in the classroom and present them with situations that are beyond their control. If a situation is severe or happens repeatedly the schools administrator needs to get involved and the child’s parents informed.
Shannon Spence is a former preschool teacher, mother of two and owns and runs a local Tutor Doctor business, with her husband Rob. She has seen bullying first hand in the preschool environment and has some insight into how to deal with the situation.
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