An 18 Month Old Suspended ?!?

I was recently informed that my niece an 18 month old little girl was suspended from daycare for punching a child with her fist. I think they kicked her out two weeks. After hearing this I laughed a bit and then thought a little more about how actually wrong this is.

I believe we can support children's development through patience and understanding. As children learn to interact with one another, communicate, and negotiate situations aggressive behavior is common. I believe we can best promote non aggressive solutions by teaching children better ways to communicate and handle social situations. If we simply suspend a toddler for aggressive behavior we are creating a situation of disconnection and isolation rather than connection and learning.

After further thought I recalled the quote from "I Thought It Was Just Me", "If you want to make a difference, the next time you see someone being cruel to another human being, take it personally. Take it personally because it IS personal!" Brene Brown further explained that when we see someone creating disconnection we must work to change the culture towards connection, understanding, and learning. Though I wouldn't consider suspending an 18 month old child 'cruel' but it does promote a culture of disconnection rather than learning at a time when children are learning how to connect, create relationships, and communicate.

So I called the center and asked to speak with the director hoping to simply discuss with her, her child development philosophy and the policy of the program. I told her I wanted to talk with her about her program and she responded that she was too busy. My mother asked if I would just simply drop the issue considering that my niece doesn't need to be dragged into a child development debate. This is all so fresh in my mind I plan to think a bit more about it, consider calling again, writing a letter, or speaking with the program supervisors... How do we go about changing this culture and creating more connection not just for my niece but for the other children in that program and in other programs... I know this director is likely overwhelmed but I want to reach to her and support her, the program, and the children...