Examining Codes of Ethics

These ideals were taken from the NAEYC and DEC codes of ethics.

NAEYC

I-1.2—To base program practices upon current knowledge and research in the field of early childhood education, child development, and related disciplines, as well as on particular knowledge of each child.

This ideal reflects my professional belief that as educators we must be aware of current research and be willing to change our teaching styles to reflect what is now known about how children learn and develop while keeping in mind the developmental needs of each child.

I-2.4—To listen to families, acknowledge and build upon their strengths and competencies, and learn from families as we support them in their task of nurturing children.

Family members are a child’s first teacher and have a depth of knowledge about each child in our care. We need to reach out to families with great respect for all the insight they have about their child so that we can forge a supportive relationship. So much of what we do each day is to support families and be a resource for them as they raise their children.

 I-3A.3—To support co-workers in meeting their professional needs and in their professional development.

Early childhood teachers within a center need to work together as a team helping to train those new to the field and to encourage professional growth for all staff. Opportunities for training and current resources should be shared by employers to keep all staff knowledgeable of developments within the field.

DEC

We shall serve as advocates for children with disabilities and their families and for the professionals who serve them by supporting both policy and programmatic decisions that enhance the quality of their lives.

As early childhood educators we are often the first people to notice that a child might have a learning disability. This is challenging position to be in but we must be advocates for the children in our care if we believe they need more services than we are qualified to provide. Talking to our directors and then to parents about concerns we have can be difficult but seeing a child get the services they need is very rewarding.

We shall demonstrate our respect and concern for children, families, colleagues, and others with whom we work, honoring their beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture.

As professionals in the early childhood field we have the opportunity to teach young children about acceptance of others before they are influenced by the bias of society. They see all the children and adults in their school as potential friends and learning about each other’s customs is such a rich and fascinating learning experience for them. It is one of my favorite reasons for working with this age.

We shall be responsible for protecting the confidentiality of the children and families we serve by protecting all forms of verbal, written, and electronic communication.

Confidentiality is a key element in building a trusting relationship with the families of the children in our care. They often need to share very private matters about their families so we can adequately care for their child’s developmental needs, they must be confident that anything they share will be held in the strictest confidence in order to be able to do that.

Resources

The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://www.dec-sped.org/

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf