Ethics in Early Childhood Education

After reading so much information provided in the NAEYC and DEC code of ethics, I can only laugh.  Ethics play such a great part in our roles as teachers.  I laugh because there was a question about ethics in childcare in my interview for my current position and I was left utterly speechless.  I was fresh out of college when I interviewed and ethics and education was something that was not part of my education for some reason.  I ended up never answering the question in my interview, but somehow ended up with the job anyway.  To me, after working with young children for a while, ethics are something that comes very naturally to me.  All children have rights.  All families have rights.  We, as childcare professionals, have the obligation to uphold these ethics and provide the best and safest learning environment possible.  


These are some ideals concerning ethics that have particular meaning to me:


~Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle


~Recognize that children are best understood and supported in the context of family, culture, community, and society.


~Respect the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each individual (child, family member, and colleagues)


~Recognize that children and adults achieve their full potential in the context of relationships that are based on trust and respect