Week 7: Examining Codes of Ethics for Early Childhood Professionals

I believe that having codes of ethics and ideals to strive for are especially important when working with children. This field is constantly changing with research, programs and policies, as well as general societal opinion and we as advocates have an obligation to serve children and families as whole, independent, and capable entities. So, it is necessary to all be on the same page when serving our communities.

Below are three ideals from the Codes of Conduct from the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Division of Early Childhood that I believe are particularly important in the service that I provide professionally.

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

1. I-1.10—To ensure that each child’s culture, language,

ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and

valued in the program.

This ideal is important to me to remember when working with children and families and as part of my professional career because I am from a diverse background, like many in the field. Acknowledging a child’s cultural, linguistic, ethnic background is vital in providing effective services from which the family will benefit. Furthermore, it is important that children and families know service providers respect these issues, and therefore, they feel more supported during services.

2. I-2.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base related to

working effectively with families and to stay informed

through continuing education and training.

In this field staying current on issues, problems, solutions, practices and resources is crucial to working with children and families. How can one work to advocate if they are not up-to-date on the latest news, training, and public outlook regarding children and programs to serve them? Training has many benefits including broadening service providers’ networks of resources, collegial support, as well as how we practice serving families. Not to mention, every once in a while, it feels good to go to a new training or professional experience, and have a break from the normal daily routine! J

3. I-4.6—To promote knowledge and understanding of

young children and their needs. To work toward

greater societal acknowledgment of children’s rights

and greater social acceptance of responsibility for the

well-being of all children.

There are many people out there who have no clue what the current issues of children are or how they could help, even in the simplest of ways. In working in this field and hopefully by expanding my knowledge base, leadership skills, and professional network, I plan to talk to anyone who will listen what my opinions are, issues I encounter, as well as barriers, which face my clients and their families daily. Only when people are informed can they make a positive difference, advocate for, and appreciate our future generations.

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

1. 2. We shall honor and respect the rights, knowledge, and skills of the multidisciplinary colleagues

with whom we work recognizing their unique contributions to children, families, and the field of

early childhood special education.

I rely often on the colleagues on my team for support and collaboration when working with families, especially those from other disciplines, of which I am less educated. I depend on their input, experience, and know how when working with families with numerous needs. This helps also to create camaraderie among my immediate community of fellow service providers which may make the difference in the delivery of those services.  

2. 2. We shall use every resource, including referral when appropriate, to ensure high quality services

are accessible and are provided to children and families.

Many of the above ideals and ethical codes coincide with this. One of the most important roles we have is to inform our children and families that there is a network of support resources in their communities to support them. A constant goal I have when working with children and families is to link them with resources they may not know of or have access to. I believe advocacy starts with community action and services that have been thoroughly assessed for their success.

3. 6. We shall respect families’ rights to choose or refuse early childhood special education or related

services.

Advocacy, empowerment, and overall willingness to participate in programs for children and families must be voluntary actions on our client’s behalves to ensure we are not asking them to take on what they are not prepared to follow through with. As professionals, all we can do is list the costs and rewards of services which may benefit the safety and well being of children. Shoving services at people only makes them defensive and skeptical. I also think it is very important that we keep the communication lines open with families who feel this way, so that they know we will be there when they choose to learn more and participate.