"Conscious Discipline links head and heart." We believe that controlling and changing ourselves is possible and has a positive impact on others. Connectedness governs behavior and conflict is an opportunity to learn. Our goal as staff is to change ourselves first and model our expectations for others through self-regulation. This creates a preschool environment and culture that teaches children that they have the choice to change and become the person they want to be, that they are responsible for their actions and feelings, that they can teach others how to treat them and that conflict and mistakes are an opportunity to learn. Love is the best motivator for learning and growth.
We Do
· Strive to keep children safe.
· Maintain a calm presence with the children.
· Create a behavior plan for the children.
· Help the children problem solve on their level.
· Provide the children with natural and logical consequences for their behavior.
· Model an assertive voice for the children.
· Provide the children with choices to be helpful.
· Strive to help children be successful.
· Attentively listen to the children.
· Model that mistakes are an opportunity for children to learn.
We Do Not
· Place children in unsafe situations (alone, unattended or without supervision).
· Punish the children physically.
· Make children feel bad in order to learn how to behave better.
· View conflict as a disruption and something that needs be eliminated.
· Use fear to control behavior.
· Use an aggressive voice with the children.
· Try to control the children through environmental manipulation.
· Show favoritism toward an individual child, family or ethnic group.
· Shame or punish the children for mistakes.