I was recently talking with a Dad of an infant, while he was enrolling his infant in my Child Care center. The Dad asked me the following question: “Do you think it is appropriate for teachers to kiss a child?”
I immediately thought to myself, that is inappropriate behavior in a child care setting. Then I replied: ” No that is not appropriate and I believe that kisses should be saved for mommy, daddy and grandparents.
However, I do believe that caregivers naturally bond with children and it is appropriate to show that you care for a child by giving the child a gentle hug, using a nurturing tone a voice or by gently rubbing a child’s back that is having difficulty sleeping at nap time.
I shared this post with you to inspire you to be mindful of the child-staff interactions in your Child Care program. Furthermore, what we (Child Care providers) may think is appropriate; may not be appropriate to a parent.
Also, be sure that you define appropriate Child- Teacher interactions in your classroom handbook or program policies.
What are your thoughts about this post? Feel free to share.
Shiketa
The Child Care Business Owner Institute 
Leave a Reply