Know

“Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.” — Unknown

As a family child care provider, you may be faced with challenging ethical issues. Being reflective as a child care provider and living your core values are critical traits, because you work with our country’s most precious resource: young children. Protecting the privacy of children and their families should always be foremost in your mind. You should have well-planned procedures for addressing complex situations, as ethical dilemmas can occur in your home and out in the community. So where do you find informed solutions about the challenging situations that you face and how do you reflect on ethical behavior?

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the largest professional organization in the field of early care and education, has developed the Code of Ethical Conduct to guide professional behavior and to support child care providers in moral and ethical implications. The code of ethics describes what the child care profession should be, how providers should behave, and the values and moral obligations that professionals are expected to honor. While the Code of Ethical Conduct will help you navigate ethical issues that you face in your daily work, it really is the foundation for all your work with children and families.

One of the authors of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, Stephanie Feeney, describes terms that are often used in discussions of personal and professional ethics in a 2010 article in Young Children (p. 73):

A professional code of ethics can be of assistance when making professional decisions. It provides those who work with vulnerable populations (including children, youth, and individuals with disabilities) with a framework for addressing problems that may arise in daily interactions  

The Importance of Being an Ethical Child Care Provider

Responsible and Ethical Practices

Participation in professional development opportunities can help ensure that you are aware of responsible and ethical practices in your work with families and children. Belonging to a supportive group with other family child care providers where you can process ethical issues and confidentially share experiences can help you as you make decisions for your program. Some family child care providers are able to do this locally in face-to-face meetings, and others may join online groups.

In your work with families, you will encounter different parenting practices and cultural beliefs. Situations may arise where you will need the guidance of other providers to learn how to work in collaboration with families who may have different beliefs and child-rearing practices from your own.

Professional Ethics Lived Day by Day

Professional ethics are not something to review and then place in a drawer; they are lived every day in discussions with children, in supporting families from diverse cultures, and in participating in community partnerships. Adhering to high-quality professional standards is critical for children and families in your care.

Your ethical responsibilities include a commitment to children, families, and the community. As a family child care provider you are responsible for providing safe, healthy, and responsive care to all children. You are also responsible for collaborating with families to support children’s optimal learning and development. Lastly, you have a responsibility to the community to provide high quality care that meets the diverse needs of families.

You have an obligation to act responsibly and ethically at all times. You are accountable for your actions and maintaining high professional standards should always be your priority.

In the Acting Responsibly and Ethically resource located in the Learn section of this lesson, you can find examples of codes of ethical conduct. The following code of ethical conduct can be a valuable resource for you:

• NAEYC Professional Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment (https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/ethical-conduct)

Your core values and philosophy will guide professional behavior. Knowing this information should be of particular importance to you and your work.

Maintaining Confidentiality: Children and Families

Maintaining confidentiality is a crucial part of professionalism. State and federal laws (e.g., the Privacy Act of 1974) protect individuals’ right to privacy. As a family child care provider, you should respect and protect the privacy of all children and families. When you work so closely together on behalf of children and families, you may become friends with some families. You may also encounter friends and relatives of children you care for when you are out in the community.

When you attend events in your community, you may be asked confidential information about a child by someone who is not the child’s parent. You may only share confidential information about a child with the child’s parents and those professionals for whom the parents have signed a release of information form, such as a school district special educator, a social worker, etc. Always talk with the child’s parents about who is allowed to have confidential information about their child. In the example above, it would be a breach of confidentiality for you to discuss Millie’s behavior with anyone except her parents.

Confidentiality and maintaining a professional image on social media and networking sites is also important.  Information you may choose to share on your personal page could have a long-term professional effect on you and your family child care business. Photographs or information about children and families should never be shared on social media without permission from parents. You should always consider how new technologies can affect children and families and respect confidentiality at all times. 

It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with your local licensing requirements for confidentiality as they pertain to children and families. You can address confidentiality in your parent handbook that you will provide to each family. Parents need to know you will always maintain their trust and confidence. If you employ an assistant or volunteer in your child care home, you must be sure that he or she is made aware of the importance of maintaining confidentiality. Your family members who are regularly in your home must also maintain confidentiality about the children you serve and their families.

Mandated Reporters

Another aspect of professionalism is always being aware of child abuse and neglect policies. It is important that you understand your role in making sure that children in your care are safe and secure. If you are a licensed family child care provider, you may be required to complete training on the role of a mandated reporter. Refer back to the Family Child Care Child Abuse courses if you need a refresher on your role as a mandated reporter. 

See

As a family child care provider, you are the person families and children will look to for guidance on difficult decisions. In working with children birth to age eight, you can always refer to the NAEYC Professional Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment to guide you in decision-making. Your core values and philosophy will guide professional behavior. Watch the video below to learn more about how ethics impacts your role as a provider.

Do

Acting responsibly and ethically should be at the core of your practice as a family child care professional. In your daily interactions with children, families, and community members, engage in the following:

• Keep information about children and their families confidential. This refers to reviewing child and family records or having conversations with other people you know in the community.  
• When you know confidential information about a child or family member, use that information to support and provide resources for them, not to place your own personal judgement. If individuals ask you for confidential information about children that you care for in your home (or their families), explain to them that you are unable to share confidential information.
• Treat each child and family member with respect and acknowledge and honor individual differences in terms of gender, cultural background, abilities, or family composition. Get to know the children in your care (and their families) and incorporate those interests or practices in your daily work.
• Provide bias-free experiences and materials.
• Recognize and celebrate the contributions of each child and family in your care.
• Act in a responsible, reliable, and dependable manner.

• Support practices that are ethical, responsible, and developmentally appropriate. Familiarize yourself with your licensing authority’s regulations, standards, and expectations for professional behavior.

The contents of this Do list are also available in the Learn section attachments section. You may want to refer to it in your daily work.