An educator talks respectfully to a family, demonstrating a proper way to handle ethical dilemmas involving the child.

Ask The Experts

Ethical Decision-Making in Difficult Situations

When complex issues arise, think through the problem step-by-step to help you make the right choice — for children, families, co-workers and yourself.

ABOUT OUR EXPERT

STACEY TOH

Ms Toh is an ECDA Fellow and Deputy Head of Preschools at Star Learners Group. Mindful of the responsibilities early childhood (EC) educators carry, she believes it takes thought leadership, passion and dedication to give the best to children.

EC educators often underestimate their role. As professionals, we are not only trained to nurture children, but also qualified to guide parents on evidence-based practices in child development. Parent education helps families understand why certain practices or routines are important, and how they support children's long-term developmental outcomes.

Difficult situations may arise when parents' expectations do not align with developmentally appropriate practices. While some requests are well-intentioned, they can conflict with the child's needs or interfere with preschool routines. For example, it could be a parent's request for their child to drink more water in preschool or skip afternoon naps.

At such times, educators must remain confident in their training, demonstrate professionalism and not be afraid to explain practices in a respectful way. The Code of Ethics for Early Childhood Professionals, developed by the Association for Early Childhood Educators (Singapore) (AECES), is a handy resource to help educators navigate these issues.

Stick to the Code

An educator sits down with a laptop, as if referring to the Code of Ethics for Early Childhood Professionals e-book.

Now in its third edition, the Code of Ethics for Early Childhood Professionals guides both beginning and experienced educators on the proper way to treat and behave around children, families, fellow EC professionals and the community. There is also a Case Studies e-book to demonstrate how the code applies to daily practice (including how you can respond to different scenarios), and to promote collective reflection among educators.

Download both resources on the AECES website.

DOING RIGHT BY THE CHILD

The Code of Ethics highlights the core values and principles that educators should uphold daily, such as respect, responsibility, integrity and care. It also outlines a systematic, five-step ethical decision-making process for applying these values, and making sound decisions, when confronted with ethical dilemmas:

Have a clear understanding of the situation.
Clarify the challenge at hand. State the parent's request and how it conflicts with the child’s health and well-being.
Identify the stakeholders and the relevant responsibilities.
Gather information relating to the situation (e.g. child’s needs, family’s circumstances, classroom dynamics).
Prioritise the key responsibilities to work on.
Refer to the Code of Ethics' guiding principles on child development and pinpoint the one(s) that applies to your case.
Identify a course of action.
Explore possible solutions (e.g. modifying routines, communicating boundaries to parents) and choose the one you feel works best.
Act on it and review.
Create a shared plan with parents or initiate a respectful conversation about children’s needs. Assess and evaluate the outcomes achieved.

Need some examples? Here are two common scenarios faced by EC educators, along with sample responses based on the step-by-step problem-solving process.

“MY CHILD NEEDS TO SKIP NAPTIME IN SCHOOL. SHE CAN’T SLEEP AT NIGHT.”

For children attending full-day childcare, afternoon naps lasting two hours (or thereabouts) are built into the schedule. Some parents may ask that their child be allowed to skip naps, believing it will improve their bedtime sleep at home.

Here's how you can respond to such requests from parents:

A sample letter by educators showing how to ethically respond to a parent’s request for their child to skip afternoon naps.

“CAN YOU MAKE MY CHILD DRINK MORE WATER IN SCHOOL?”

Adequate hydration is essential for healthy bodies. However, issues may arise when parents, worried about their child’s fluid intake at home, ask that their child drink large — potentially excessive — amounts of water in preschool.

Educators can respond to parents who have made such a request in this manner:

A sample letter by educators showing how to ethically respond to a parent’s request for their child to drink more water.