Below you will find scenarios related to physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect from infancy through school-age. Reflect on the scenarios and what you should do to protect each child.

1. Scenario: It’s the end of the day and you are walking to your car. You see Bill yelling at his four children to “shut up and get in the car.” You notice that there are no car seats in the car but at least three of the children should be using a car seat. Bill continues to yell at the kids, and you see him hit one of the children with a closed fist.
   • Call 911 or Child Protective Services (CPS).
   • Follow specific reporting procedures for the State of Service.
   • Notify the Program Manager of what you observed.
   • Seek additional support for managing emotions related to making a report.

    
2. Scenario: As you are cleaning the hallway floor in the child-development center, you observe the pretoddler classroom transitioning to go outside. You see Fiona, an 18-month-old, crying and throwing herself on the floor. In frustration, the staff member grabs Fiona by the top of the arm and yanks her up to walk. She squeezes so hard that Fiona has bruises around her upper arm in the shape of a hand.
   • Call CPS.
   • The staff member will be removed from settings with children while the incident is investigated.
   • Notify the Program Manager so that he or she can support staffing in the classroom to ensure adequate supervision.
   • Follow specific reporting procedures for the State of Service.
   • Seek additional support for managing emotions related to making a report.

    
3. Scenario: Two 11-year-old girls are hunched over a cell phone giggling. You approach to remind the girls to put the device somewhere safe. You notice a clearly sexual picture on the phone of a man’s partially naked body. Quickly the girls navigate away from the picture, but you see that the girl’s wallpaper is a picture of a 19-year-old staff member making a kissing face and a suggestive pose.
   • Call CPS or law enforcement, depending on your program's procedures.
   • Notify the Program Manager so that he or she can make sure the staff member has no contact with children.
   • Seek additional support for managing emotions related to making a report.

    
4. Scenario: On you way back to the kitchen, you see Dora and her father in the hallway, leaving the center. Dora’s father seems frustrated and in a hurry. You overhear Dora’s father say “Stop being slow and stupid like your mom. My life would be so much less stressful if I didn’t have you.”
   • Call CPS or law enforcement, depending on your program's procedures.
   • Notify the Program Manager so that he or she can provide resources and supports for Dora’s father and family.
   • Seek additional support for managing emotions related to making a report.

    
5. Scenario: You overhear Jennifer, a staff member in a preschool classroom, tell a child that she wishes the child would stay home tomorrow. She says the program is better when the child is not there.
   • Notify the Program Manager about what you overheard so that she or he can talk with the staff member and provide additional training on positive guidance.
   • Follow your program’s procedures for documenting and responding to policy violations.

    
6. Scenario: As you are delivering lunches to the classrooms, 4-year-old Marjorie tells you she is really hungry because she and her two younger siblings (ages 1 and 2) didn’t have dinner last night. She tells you that her mom didn’t feed them dinner before she went to work and no other adults were in the home.
   • You might say “Wow, I bet you are really hungry.”
   • With a child this age, it might be best not to elaborate.
   • Call CPS or law enforcement, depending on your program's procedures.
   • Notify the Program Manager about what you heard so that she or he can find out if the family needs resources and support.
   • Seek additional support for managing emotions related to making a report.

    
7. Scenario: A staff member calls the front desk and asks if someone could bring ice to the classroom for a child that was hurt. When you arrive, you notice that there is only one staff member in the room. The other staff member has taken an unscheduled break and left the classroom out of ratio.
   • Provide immediate staffing coverage to make sure children are adequately supervised.
   • Discuss the incident with the Program Manager. Leaving children unsupervised is a serious policy violation, so follow your program’s procedures for next steps.