All Centre employees, volunteers, or students, engaged in providing childcare at Kids Come First, are prohibited from the following practices under the Child Care and Early Years Act:
- Corporal punishment (physical punishment such as hitting, spanking, kicking, heavy pushing, shoving, grabbing, squeezing arms, ears, etc.);
- Physical restraint of the child, such as confining the child to a high chair, car seat, stroller or other device for the purposes of discipline or in lieu of supervision, unless the physical restraint is for the purpose of preventing a child from hurting himself/herself or someone else and is used only as a last resort and only until the risk of injury is no longer imminent.
- Deliberate harsh or degrading treatment that would humiliate a child or undermine his or her self-respect;
- Depriving the child of basic needs (i.e. food, shelter, drink, sleep, toilet use, clothing, and bedding);
- Inflicting any bodily harm on children including making children eat or drink against their will;
- Locking the exits of the Centre for the purpose of confining the child; or confining the child in an area or room without adult supervision, unless such confinement occurs during an emergency and is required as part of the licensee’s emergency management policies and procedures.
Corporal punishment and other harmful disciplinary practices are forbidden in order to protect the emotional and physical well-being of children. These practices are never permitted at the Centre. Rather, the children benefit from an affirming approach that encourages positive interactions with other children and with adults, rather than from a negative or punitive approach to managing unwanted behavior.