Know

Most of us become child development professionals because we love working with young children. It is difficult imagining anyone in our profession intentionally harming a child. Unfortunately, it has occurred in child care and other youth-serving organizations. Your program has policies in place that help protect you and protect children. This lesson will help you learn about these policies.

The Department of Defense makes every effort to ensure the safety and well-being of children involved in DoD facilities, such as schools and child development centers, or DoD-sponsored activities, such as youth sports or recreation programs. This includes conducting thorough background checks and training all staff and volunteers involved with these facilities and programs.

Facility Operations

Your building has been designed and furnished to prevent opportunities for child abuse. Watch this video to learn more.

你的计划也有防止虐待和忽视儿童的政策和程序。花点时间了解一下你的程序的具体步骤。以下是您的计划如何防止虐待和忽视儿童的概述：

Hiring & Staffing Procedures

All staff members are carefully screened before hiring. Background checks are conducted and records are maintained. While your background check is in process, you will not work alone with children. All children must remain under the supervision of an employee who has passed the background check.

被指控在该项目中虐待或忽视儿童的工作人员将在案件调查期间被重新分配到不接触儿童的职位。将保留记录，因此有虐待或忽视儿童记录的个人不得在不同的设施或装置重新雇用。

Maximum Group Size and Accountability

您的计划遵循高质量早期护理和教育设置的标准。团体规模和适当的成人监督的指导方针将虐待和忽视儿童的风险降到最低。在安全课程中，您将了解更多有关成人与儿童比率和最大群体规模的信息。

Adult-child ratios have two parts: (a) the number of children per staff member and (b) the maximum group size.

NAEYC项目标准(2007年),美国Academy of Pediatrics (2011), and the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) provide guidelines for ratios and group sizes. NAEYC recommends a maximum group size of eight for children ages birth to 15 months and a ratio of at least 1:4. When children are 21 to 36 months, the maximum group size can reach 12 children (ratio 1:6). The group sizes and ratios are guidelines. Your specific program may have different standards based on level of staff support, training, and monitoring such as video or closed circuit television.

在大多数儿童发展中心，比率和最大群体规模如下：

• Children ages 6 weeks through 12 months the ratio is 1:4 with maximum group size of 8.
• Children ages 13 months to 24 months the ratio is 1:5 with a maximum group size of 10.
• 年龄在25个月至36个月的儿童比例为1:7，最大群体规模为14人。

Your program will have additional requirements with regard to maintaining accountability. Talk to your T&Cs about your specific program requirements.

Check with your trainer or manager about specific staffing requirements for your program or Service.

Guidance and Discipline Policy

Your program has a guidance and discipline policy百万（或同等服务）that represents best practices in the field. In the Explore section of this lesson, you will work with your manager to get a copy of the Guidance and Discipline policy for your program. This policy statement describes acceptable and unacceptable forms of guidance and discipline in your program.

For all infant and toddler caregivers, guidance should be based on relationships. You are helping children learn positive skills and ways to interact. Use these strategies:

• 为行为设定简单的规则或准则。例如“安全”或“温柔”。对于幼儿，考虑制定成人行为的规则或指导方针。例如，“我会保护你的安全。”
• Say and show what children should do. You might say, “Tasha, be safe. Sit on your bottom,” while patting the chair or sitting down.
• Redirect children to a different behavior that is OK. For example, hand a child a rubber teething toy if he is chewing on objects. Provide duplicates of toys, so children do not have to wait.
• Offer simple choices. For example, you might say, “Do you want to hold my hand or Ms. Dee’s hand?”
• 做出改变。如果一个孩子想攀爬，那可能是一个出去或搬到攀岩区的最佳时机。

Infant and toddler caregiving staff should not:

• 使用体罚（打、打、划等）
• Yell or shame a child
• Isolate a child
• Withhold food, water, or comfort
• 束缚或限制孩子的行动（例如，把一个蹒跚学步的孩子绑在椅子上，这样他就不能离开集体时间）

儿童问责与监督：接纳与释放

Your program has standard operating procedures for the admission and release of children. Learn about your program’s policies related to releasing children. Children should only be released to:

• Parents or legal guardians
• 父母或法定监护人书面授权的个人
• 在紧急情况下，法律授权的个人，如紧急医疗响应人员、警察或儿童福利工作者

Unknown individuals who arrive to pick up a child should be asked for photo identification before proceeding to the child’s classroom. Front desk staff will verify the individual has the authorization to pick up the child and then notify the classroom that someone other than the parent is picking the child up.

开放政策

Parents and families should have access to all parts of the building while their child is in the program’s care. This does not mean strangers can roam the building. Rather, programs must provide controlled access (sign-in, secure entrances). Providing an open door to families makes the program more family-friendly, encourages partnerships between families and staff, and makes the program’s operations more transparent. There should be no “secret” spaces.

看到了吗

Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect in Center Settings

Caring for children can be a stressful job. There can be a fine line between inappropriate caregiving practices and child abuse. When in doubt, talk to your manager百万or the FAP. 在关于在中心环境中防止虐待儿童的课程中，你将学到更多关于积极指导策略的知识。有时，照顾的做法越界到虐待，甚至虐待。你将在下一节课中了解更多。这节课的重点是在中心环境中虐待或忽视儿童的明显例子。如果您看到这些迹象或行为的模式，您可能会怀疑您的环境中存在虐待或忽视儿童的行为：

Abuse Type	Signs of Abuse
物理的	A staff member becomes frustrated by a child’s crying and shakes or swings the baby roughly. 一次咬人事件发生后，一名工作人员告诉一个孩子“用力咬他，让他记得当时的感觉”
性的	A staff member takes pictures of an infant’s genitalia or graphic images of toddlers toileting.
Emotional	A staff member picks up a crying child and calls him names like “evil” and “spoiled.” A staff member screams at an infant to “stop crying.”
忽视	A staff member takes an unscheduled break and leaves the classroom out of ratio. 一名工作人员从一个在换尿布的桌子上的孩子身边走开，把孩子放在无人看管的地方。 A staff member refuses to feed a hungry infant because the baby needs to “learn a schedule.” A staff member tells a toddler with soiled pants he’ll have to “just sit in his dirty pants” until he learns to use the toilet.

Do

• Read your program’s Guidance and Touch policy. Make sure you understand it. Ask your manager any questions you might have. Follow the guidelines in the policy in all your interactions with children.
• Communicate the value of facility security features like closed-circuit television, vision panels, fencing, and security check-in procedures.
• Observe children for signs of abuse or neglect in the program. When you have a concern, make a report百万to FAP (or your reporting point of contact (RPOC) in Army programs) following your Service and installation policy. They will investigate.