Guidance Principles

At Woodinville Family Preschool, we use guidance to direct children’s behavior in a compassionate, developmentally appropriate manner.  Our guidance principles are followed by the staff and caregivers in our program to set effective limits, assist in children’s growth and development, and develop important relationships and problem-solving skills.

When caregivers and educators use guidance principles, children feel secure, respected, and empowered.  In addition, children build self-confidence and learn to problem-solve in social situations.

In our classrooms, caregivers and educators:

  • Use a warm, encouraging manner to set clear, consistent limits and offer choices.
  • Sit at the child’s eye level, and make an effort to understand what the child is saying.
  • Encourage children to try new skills and let them participate at will.
  • Show a genuine interest in a child’s work, understanding that the process is more important than the end product.
  • Accept each child as an individual, letting the child work by their own methods.
  • Offer encouragement instead of flattery.
  • Encourage a child to complete tasks on their own to build independence.
  • Use a positive rather than a negative approach in talking with children.
  • Handle conflict by redirecting the behavior and/or coaching the children to express their emotions and needs in a socially acceptable way.