Personal Code of Ethics:

Child:

I will appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle. (CV)

I will create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional,

cognitive and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions. (I)

I will advocate for and ensure that all children, including those with special needs, have access to

the support services needed to be successful. (I)

I will care for and educate children in positive emotional and social environments that are

cognitively stimulating and that support each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family

structure. (P)

I will not harm children in any way. (P)

Family:

I will appreciate and support the bond between the child and the family. (CV)

I will welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program. (I)

I will develop relationships of mutual trust and create partnerships with the families I serve. (I)

I will inform families of and, when appropriate, involve them in policy decisions. (P)

I will involve the family in significant decisions affecting their child. (P)

Colleagues:

I will respect the dignity and, worth and uniqueness of each individual. (CV)
I will establish a maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and

cooperation with coworkers. (I)

I will share resources with coworkers, collaborating to ensure that the best possible early

childhood care and education program are provided. (I)

I will not participate in practices that discriminate against coworkers because of sex, race,

national origin, religious beliefs or other affiliations. (P)

I will follow all program policies. When I do not agree with program policies, I will attempt to

effect change through constructive action within the organization. (P)

Community:

I will recognize that children are best understood and supported in the context of family, culture,

community and society. (CV)

I will provide the community with high-quality early childhood care and education programs and

services. (I)

I will work to ensure that appropriate assessment systems, which include multiple sources of

information, are used for purpose that benefit children. (I)

I will communicate openly and truthfully about the nature and extent of services that I provide.

(P)

I will not participate in practices that are in violation of laws and regulations that protect the

children in my programs. (P)

Quoted in part from the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, National Association for the
Education of Young Children, 2005.