Journal 3 - The C's of Communication

Communication is an absolutely crucial part of being a great child care provider. Chapter 2 in our text is a great tool in how to and how not to communicate with families in your child care program. I liked how the text breaks it down into the six C's of communication. The positive C's being; clarity, consistency, and caring. The three negative communication elements being; confrontation, conflict, and carelessness. It is important the child care providers know how to communicate and how to resolve conflicts or issues that may arise.

Pages 18-19:
The scenario about the family wanting to prepare and bring chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies as a birthday snack is a tricky one. The family thinks it will be okay to bring a snack with nuts in them because no one in the class is allergic. However, the child care provider must explain to the family that just because no one in that class is allergic to nuts that there may be other children in the program that are allergic and they cannot risk the health and safety of another child. The key in this scenario is to explain the importance of no nuts in the facility and that it is a health issue.

Regarding the scenario about the teacher wanting the better shift on Friday's due to her father's stroke, I would tell her that she must ask the other staff if they are personally willing to give up their shift. I understand this could open a door for other issues that arrive but I think that every circumstance is different and you can deal with it as it comes. In this case I believe each teacher should be able to decide if they are willing to give her their early shift. The key is to be caring yet fair.

Pages 22-23
The first scenario is about a teacher who showed her lesson plans to a coworker and the coworker used her lesson plans. I would not make a big confrontation about it because that would just make is a bigger issue than it is. I think I would acknowledge that she took my plans and posted them and then say that maybe next time we could put our great ideas together and do the curriculum together.

This is a tough scenario. The father is upset because he was not told about an injury. This happens quite often because a teacher only has two eyes and doesn't always witness everything. I would calm the father day and let him know if he has any concerns about his daughters care than he is more than welcome and encouraged to speak to the director. I would also explain our policy to him about injuries and also explain to the child that it is important she tell an adult if she gets injured or hurt by another child. Arguing back with the father would only escalate the situation.

I found this chapter very informative. These scenarios are things that come up all the time when working in child care.