Early Childhood Education

Introduction

Children are prone to abuse by some irresponsible individuals in their society and thus the need to teach them about protective behavior. The approach ensures that the child irrespective of their tender age area able to recognize inappropriate behavior directed to them (Belsky, 2011). The impact is reduction of possible harm from strangers or relatives. At young age, the children can suffer from abusive relationship and fail to report to either their parents or guardians. However, through understanding protecting behaviors, they are able to recognize different behavior patterns and appropriate response.  Children are also curious as they grow up and protective behavior enables them to control their curiosity especially if it exposes them to danger (Belsky, 2011). The impact is enhancement of their safety as they interact with peers and different stakeholders. Early childhood educators who guide the children on protective behavior allow them to develop their brains and enhance their personal safety in and outside school.   

Description and Significance of the Issue 

Child abuse is a concern for the society where children suffer in hands of some irresponsible members of the society. Programs on protective behavior help in enhancing the knowledge of children on how to avoid becoming victim of such abuses (Linke, 2015). The program offer variety of contents and its delivery relies on different styles to enhance understanding by the children. Some of the common content that children learn from the program includes naming their body parts. Understanding their body makes it possible to reduce curiosity and raise alarm when individuals make unwelcome gestures on their body. Other content include appreciating their body in addition to understanding different modes of touch (Linke, 2015). Additionally, the program offer lessons on how to identify safe people and how to avoid and get from situations that pose risk to them. The presentation is through use of books or dramatic plays. Films are also useful in the delivery and capture the attention of children in understanding their role in enhancing their personal safety. 

Protective behavior is significant because it protects children from unwelcome advances from irresponsible people. The children are able to know whom to trust.  Further, the program offers children the ability to open about issues of abuse that may happen to them to their trusted persons (Linke, 2015). Therefore, the children do not fear threats given by their oppressors about telling their parents or guardians about their abusive experience. Protective behavior further enhances the self-esteem of children who share their concerns with their parents or teachers (Linke, 2015). The result is ability to offer solutions to such problems and ensure that the children have a positive outlook of life. Additionally, the program allows children to understand how to interact with other children and avoid unnecessary confrontation that may result to fights.  

Stakeholders

Issue	Stakeholder	Action
Protective Behavior	Parents	Help create a friendly relationship with their kids to enable them open about their experiences (Buss & Kiel, 2011). Support developing confidence in their children to share things that bother them. Teaching children to avoid closeness with strangers and report such interactions to their parents. Support regulation of personal behavior when responding to anger in order to avoid conflicts (Buss & Kiel, 2011). Provide guide for children through use of examples how to regulate distress and its impact on others. Offer protection to the children whenever they report incidences of threat from different environment. Act as role models in upholding safe environment for the children.Supporting children handle their anxiety through a socio-emotional adjustment platform (Buss & Kiel, 2011).
Foundation –Year two Educators	Provide guideline to teachers and parents to ensure that children thrive in supportive communities and families (Common Wealth of Australia, 2009). Ensure that children have access to reliable support that promotes their safety and intervention in case of any threats to their existence. Provide guidelines on how to address child neglect and abuse for both teachers and parents (Common Wealth of Australia, 2009). Support the welfare of children who are victims of neglect and abuse from relatives or strangers. Prosecuting incidences of sexual abuse on children and giving survivors adequate support to recover from the trauma (Common Wealth of Australia, 2009).
Early Learning Centers	The centers help parents build resilience in handling their children reducing incidences of misunderstanding as they grow (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2014). Provide social connections that help the children develop trust in people and know how to avoid potential abusers in their school and in their homes. Carry out practical illustrations through videos or play to enhance the understanding of personal safety to the children (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2014). Providing support to the children to enable them share their experiences from their homes to enhance their safety in and outside the school environment. Develop competence on socio-emotions thus enabling the children to handle stressing situations positively (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2014).

Implication for Children Development and Growth

Protective behavior enables the children to develop self-confidence and communicate their concerns to their guardians and teachers on time. Therefore, it helps the children feel the urge to question things they do not understand. Further, it promotes the ability of kids to be cautious of their environment thus reducing incidences of harm (Kids Matter, n.d). Indeed, the children think the consequences of different activities they engage in and this builds a responsible generation of kids. The kids understand that their safety is relatively a personal responsibility and need to report any unclear circumstance that poses danger to them (Kids Matter, n.d). Additionally, protective behavior allows children to test the reliability of people before they can give them their trust (Kids Matter, n.d). The impact is reduction of unnecessary harm that originates from individuals in the society that kids trust innocently. 

The approach further allows kids to achieve emotional and social skills that are relevant in their interaction with other children (Kids Matter, n.d). The children learn how to handle their emotions and when in disagreement with peers know how to solve their differences. The situation reduces incidences of fights among kids that could result to physical harm. Through social skills, the children develop awareness of their interaction with different people and can identify an unwelcome touch (Kids Matter, n.d). Therefore, such children are able to develop proactive means of reporting any mischievous approach from strangers and friends. The incidence offers significant protection from parents who can learn about such concerns on time. 

Implication for Teaching in the Early Childhood Context

The implication of protection behavior approach in early childhood to educators is a need to have them provide a positive interaction for children. The environment gets supports from physical resources, programs and routines that shape the behavior of children. The educators need to develop a moral structure from where the children can learn (Belsky, 2011). As role models, the teacher requires showing relative higher levels of controlling negative emotions when interacting with the children. Indeed, children learn significant many things from things they can see instead of things they hear. Therefore, educators have the role to model the young children to enhance understanding of concept that relates to personal safety and responsibility. However, the learning is achievable when the educator offers a caring and supportive behavior to the kids. The influence is ability of children to learn how to express their emotions and understand their personal values at early age. The ultimate objective of the educator in enhancing protective behavior is to guide children on consequences of their actions (Belsky, 2011). Therefore, the children get encouragement to promote and regulate behavior that is not harmful to them or their colleagues. 

Through guided approach, the teacher requires helping the children develop confidence in revealing their concerns as they seek help (Belsky, 2011). However, the educators have to be consistent in regulating such behaviors in order to make children aware of their responsibility as they interact with others. Through cognitive approach, the educators impart knowledge to children on how to avoid dangerous environment that risk harm into their body (Belsky, 2011). The approach is relevant in ensuring that children understand that there has a significant role in enhancing their personal safety. However, effectiveness of teaching protective behavior lies on ability of a teacher to identify how different factors such as gender, children’s ability and life experience affects reception of learning by children (Belsky, 2011). Therefore, the educator requires offering an environment that promotes and embraces diversification that characterizes young children. In order to impart positive response for the lessons on protective behavior, the teacher also requires understanding the interests of the kids. The understanding makes it possible for educator to tailor the teaching to the needs of the children and enhance learning objective. 

Conclusion

Protective behavior is important in influencing the character of children as they interact with others and protect them from harm by strangers. The approach relies on training children on their role in upholding personal safety and avoiding issues of child abuse. Through the program, children are able to identify risky behavior and circumstances thus reporting them to their teachers and guardians. Creating awareness on children about their safety, enable development of confidence and achievement of high socio-emotional skills. There are different stakeholders such as teachers, Foundation year 2, and early learning centers that influence delivery of protective behavior in children. The educators of early childhood have responsibility of identifying interests and experience of children in order to teach protective behaviors. The circumstances and experiences of children shape their reception of such lessons. Additionally, it is necessary to provide an environment that supports confidence of children and openness to the educators on the issues they face and pose risk to their lives. 

References

Belsky, J. (2011). Child Care and Its Impact on Young Children. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. Retrieved January 11, 2019, from: http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/sites/default/files/textes-experts/en/857/child-care-and-its-impact-on-young-children.pdf

Buss, K. A. & Kiel, E. J. (2011). Do Maternal Protective Behaviors Alleviate Toddlers’ Fearful Distress? International Journal of Behavior Development, 35(2): 136–143.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2014). Protective Factors Approaches in Child Welfare. Retrieved January 11, 2019, from: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/protective_factors.pdf

Common Wealth of Australia. (2009). Protecting Children is Everyone’s Business National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009–2020. Retrieved January 11, 2019, from: https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/child_protection_framework.pdf

Kids Matter. (n.d). Risk and Protective Factors: Early Childhood. Retrieved January 11, 2019, from: https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/mental-health-basics-promoting-mental-health/risk-and-protective-factors-early

Linke, P. (2015). Protective Behaviours. The Spoke. Retrieved January 10, 2019, from: http://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/protective-behaviours/