In early childhood education, our relationships with families are foundational but they’re not always easy to navigate. When a child’s behaviour begins to impact the safety or wellbeing of others, educators often find themselves caught between professional responsibility and fear of offending parents. Over time, many have grown hesitant to speak up, even as biting, pushing, and dysregulation become more frequent in toddler rooms.
Below are practical, emotionally intelligent ways to initiate these conversations with families—rooted in respect, partnership, and a shared commitment to every child’s wellbeing.
In early childhood education, our relationships with families are foundational—but they’re not always easy to navigate. When a child’s behaviour begins to impact the safety or wellbeing of others, educators often find themselves caught between professional responsibility and fear of offending parents. Over time, many have grown hesitant to speak up, even as biting, pushing, and dysregulation become more frequent in toddler rooms.
Below are practical, emotionally intelligent ways to initiate these conversations with families—rooted in respect, partnership, and a shared commitment to every child’s wellbeing.
This template is to document violent incidents that occur.
This template is used to reflect and assess a child's behaviour.
This template is used to identify and reinforce positive behaviour and addresses a child's specific behavioural needs.
Supporting a toddler with challenging behavior requires a combination of strategies and resources tailored to their developmental stage. The following article provides information on Strategies To Support Toddlers With Challenging Behaviour, Positive Reinforcement For Toddlers, Teaching Emotional Regulations To Toddlers and more.
Funded by NSW Department of Education and Phoenix support, Understanding and Supporting Children's Behaviour is a self-paced course that consists of six webinars, free for NSW Educators.
EPEC Education has developed a free webinar on "Guiding the Positive Behaviour of Children." It provides suggestions and strategies for fostering a peaceful and supportive environment for children.
No child is behaves in one way all the time, but psychologists agree that each has their own usual type. This is usually reflected in the way parents or close family members describe the child since their infancy; for example, ‘Sandra is very easygoing’ or ‘Rodney likes routines’. Such differences are clues to different temperaments that human beings are born with. The following article provides information on What Is Temperament, Understanding Temperament, Teaching Strategies and more.
The NSW Office of the Children's Guardian has developed a SAFE Series Protective Behaviors Program, which helps early childhood educators teach protective behaviours to children… Read More
World Mental Health Day, on October 10th, provides an opportunity to nurture emotional wellbeing, resilience, and empathy in early childhood settings. For children, mental health… Read More
In a landmark move to enhance oversight and accountability across Australia’s early childhood education and care sector, Education Ministers have commissioned ACECQA to develop a… Read More
World Mental Health Day is a vital moment for educators—not just to support children’s wellbeing, but to reflect on their own emotional health, professional identity,… Read More
In child-related work, safety begins with trust and trust must be backed by verification. The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian has issued a clear… Read More
