Up Close and Personal

While away from my place of work, I’ve been using some of my time to get up to date with my yearly professional development modules. If you work in early childhood, you must complete a certain number of Continuing Education Units per year. (CEUs) Depending on the state where you live, you may need to make sure that those credits are fulfilled in specific areas such as child development, health and safety, curriculum, and so on.

Under normal circumstances, choosing live, in-person professional development experiences means using your own time on evenings or weekends, or getting a substitute in order to go to workshops that are held during the week. Both can be difficult. In recent years the online “module” format has become a popular option. You’re still using your own time, in most cases, but you can do it from the comfort of your own home.

The module I am working on at the moment is called “Biting Hurts!” It examines biting in the childcare setting from infants through preschool children. I chose this course because I’ve had the occasional biter over the years and thought I could probably do better at handling those situations if I understood more. I have definitely learned a lot so far.

Our community has been wrestling with the challenge of whether it is safe for students and teachers to return to the classroom in the Fall. I haven’t seen as many discussions about preschool children and daycare environments. Anyone who works in early childhood knows that the care of young children involves a good deal of physical proximity. Maintaining six feet of distance from someone who needs their shoe tied, diaper changed, nose wiped, skinned knee bandaged (I could go on) just is not possible. 

There will be masks, and gloves, and handwashing, and conscientious sanitizing of materials. But working with young children in group settings will still be up close and personal, creating ongoing risks for the adults charged with their care.

Here are some reasons young children bite: 

Fatigue

Overstimulation 

Hunger

Change in routine

Competition over toys, materials 

Undeveloped language skills

Undeveloped social skills 

Classroom too crowded

Sensory integration issues 

I’ve learned from my course that episodes of biting sometimes appear like epidemics in a preschool setting, as the behavior is imitated by others. Teachers and administrators must work together the way they would in a health care crisis, in order to minimize risk, treat those affected, educate parents, analyse occurrences for clues that explain what is prompting the continued biting.

Now imagine doing all this while a new and deadly virus, for which there is no reliable treatment or effective vaccine, is moving through your community, your state, your country. The world. 

So many parents need safe, high-quality childcare. Without it parents cannot return to work. In truth, our country has had a massive crisis around a lack of childcare long before the COVID-19 pandemic. The novel coronavirus has merely exposed the truth that was there already. I highly recommend the documentary film entitled “No Small Matter” about early care and education. Check out their Facebook page and their website to learn more and to find out how you can watch the film.

Just a reminder from your friendly neighborhood teacher that education in a classroom doesn’t come only with papers and books. Sometimes it comes with teeth.