The Director and Challenging Behavior

Barbara Kaiser, one of the experts contributing insights to the Exchange training video, Addressing Challenging Behaviors, talked about her experience incorporating children with challenging behavior into a child care center in her article, "Including Children with Challenging Behavior in Your Child Care Community." One of her insights from this experience...

"Of the director's many jobs, none is more essential than supporting the staff so that they can support the children.  This support becomes a lifeline when a child with challenging behavior is involved.  Sharing the experience of success and failure in the classroom was an important way for me to help.  Together with the staff, I scheduled several hours each day to be with them and the children.  This gave me an opportunity to know the children better, understand the educators' perspective, and model behavior.  The staff became so comfortable with my presence that their in-front-of-the-director behavior was no different from their behavior in my absence; and this frequent close contact created a strong bond among us.  They felt safe expressing their concerns about a child, either privately or in a staff meeting, where we still regularly discussed children's behavior.  They also understood that if they needed an extra pair of hands, I would be available.  There was a sense that we were all in this together."

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